The Marketer's Toolbox: Selecting Your Marketing Mix.

Posted by Julie LaSalle on 30 November 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: social media, marketing

The list of factors challenging today's B2B marketers is undoubtedly vast: fragmented audiences, empowered consumers, getting heard amongst the clutter of 3000 messages daily, budgetary constraints, demonstrating ROI, and accountability. But, the resources available to transform these challenges into opportunities are equally as endless. From strategies to tactics, the marketer's toolbox is overflowing with opportunity: strategic brand planning, audience profiling and mapping, PR, outbound marketing, digital marketing, SEO, and social media - these are just a sampling of the tools that today's B2B marketers have at their disposal. What makes them each effective is the careful consideration and analysis of the specific marketing problem at hand and the selection of the most relevant tool(s) to solve that problem. In some instances, this careful consideration is overlooked by the impulse to select the newest tool in the box, before considering how it will help to solve the problem and meet the objectives.

A relatively recent example is social media. It's the shiny new wrench that marketers can't wait to employ. Some would argue that it has crossed the line of becoming an obsession-most marketing blogs, webinars, and podcasts heavily focus on how to leverage it, how to navigate it, how to track it, and how to put it to use immediately. And while it's an effective tool, it's important to remember it may or may not be the solution to the problem you're tasked with solving.

Ford's "Bold Moves" and the Timid Consumer Response

Ford's recent marketing efforts illustrate this point. What started as a beautifully architected creative campaign called "Bold Moves" soon became a social media flop. Aimed at addressing Ford's turn-around from an outdated and behind-the-times business to a reinvigorated and relevant company with bold new products, the campaign failed to develop any meaningful traction with its primary consumers.

The integrated campaign utilized TV, print ads, a microsite full of documentary-like content, a series of weekly webisodes, blogs, and you guessed it, social media. It promised to get the consumer involved and engaged with the transformation taking place at Ford. But Ford's marketing team didn't carefully consider the problem that they were tasked with solving, in this case determining the brand image and repositioning of the company. The consumer involvement factor gained little traction in the social space due to Ford's one-way communication style. And what footprint it did leave behind was met with great scrutiny-Ford had alienated the audience they had hoped to attract by attempting to shield the company from consumer comments. Had Ford charted the course differently and selected more appropriate tools for collecting consumer feedback and participation, the $60 million investment may have sustained itself as corporate platform rather than have been a short-lived, expensive lesson.

How AMEX and NBC Were Illuminated

Unlike Ford's pricey mistake, the savvy marketer approaches each problem with discipline and an open mind-ready to employ a balanced strategy, selecting the best tools to meet the objectives and solve the problem. A good example of this type of insightful thinking is a the recent "Shine A Light" campaign, launched by American Express and NBC Universal. Tasked with creating a positive relationship (image) with the small business community in the wake of much financial misfortune, Amex teamed up with NBC Universal to position the company as one committed to the interests of small businesses, as well as to generate awareness about the significant role small businesses play in the global economy.

Through a careful analysis and consideration of the problem, an integrated positioning effort was launched, leveraging television, radio, business information, PR, direct mail, email, digital, and social media. Amex ultimately delivered $100,000 in grant and marketing support to an inspiring American small business.

TV and radio brought national attention, driving viewers to nominate and later vote for a small business that has demonstrated an innovative commitment to their customers and community at large. A new custom microsite acted as the campaign epicenter, providing free small business-specific content such as business plan development tips, tax resources, Shine A Light direct mail flyers, email templates for nominations and vote collections, widgets, and videos for viral sharing. And finally, community friendly social media took the campaign to the corners of the U.S. via Twitter, facebook, Digg, Stumble Upon, and Delicious, encouraging individuals and their respective communities to show support and vote for a deserving local or regional small business finalist.

So there you have it-two widely known brands, two similar marketing challenges, two very different outcomes. While the tools available were the same for both Ford and American Express, the award for execution of the most relevant mix goes to Amex. Ford had the right ideas in concept and message, but they didn't consider the consequences of how their conservative roots would play out in the social space. Amex on the other hand, with careful consideration of the marketing mix, understood the best way to achieve their objectives and chose appropriate tools to execute their campaign. Ford could have engaged their audience differently via other tools such as, focus groups, consumer surveys, and customer service outreach, which could have impacted their investment positively. Instead, they prematurely entered an unfamiliar space with impulse rather than careful consideration.

As you face the daily challenges of marketing in an increasingly diverse and dynamic business environment, remember the importance of analyzing the situation and selecting strategies and tools that are contextually relevant. Don't forget to check out the Idea Lab periodically to discuss other real life case studies, like Amex and Ford.