There Is a New Sacred Cow in Marketing

Posted by John Todor on May 22, 2008

0 comments | 2846 reads

Traditional media is expendable but not SEM/SEO, online advertising, PR or websites. That's according to a survey of senior marketing executives reported by the CMO Club .

When asked what would be first thing they would cut if they faced budget cuts, over half the CMO's cited TV and print. Trade shows and events weren't far behind. The last to cut were all associated with visibility on the Internet.

So, what the news? Noticeably absent in the new sacred cow category are any activities that are clearly customer-centric.

Yet, when ask what the most important issues were, these CMO's said TRUST, CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT and DIFFERENTIATION.

Why weren't open, transparent social media activities high on the protected list? Why wasn't customer engagement a priority not a goal? What kind of differentiation were they seeking? Differentiation from competitors or differentiation in the minds of customers?

I suspect that new sacred cows are now understandable and manageable. They are also perceived to be mandatory. Well, they are mandatory, but without a strategic shift they are still pushing messages at customers. And, these activities alone are not aligned with their most important issues.

John Todor

John I. Todor, Ph.D. is the Managing Partner of the MindShift Innovation, a firm that helps executives confront the volatility and complexity of the marketplace. We engage executives in a process that tackles two critical challenges: envisioning new possibilities for creating and delivering value to customers and, fostering employee engagement in the innovation and alignment of business practices to deliver on the new possibilities. Follow me on Twitter @johntodor

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