Comments on: How marketing is like pushing a car

By: gp

gp — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:22:27 +0000

I think two years is a good base, but it probably takes 2-3 to achieve that momentum. Depending on your company, two years is a reasonable amount of time to really understand the ethos of the company, products, customers, etc. I’m one of the lucky guys who “walked” into a position where the CEO knew what he was looking for and realized ahead of time it will take some time. We’ve already had some successful campaigns in only 4 months, but time will tell. I company must have consistency over time to see results. It’s kind of like a rock band–you go through a sales cycle–you put out an album, make a video, tour, schlep you schwag at concerts, take a holiday, and repeat. That cycle tends to be about two years. The second cycle should follow the same basic pattern. In my opinion, if you survive two cycles, you’d be a fool not to go for a third. And, it is when things get tough that marketing, to me anyway, becomes fun.

By: Patrick Byers

Patrick Byers — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:43:34 +0000

Neal: Thanks for the feedback. The average tenure of a CMO is 26 months, so it would seem your two year window is about the norm.

I’d argue it needs to be even longer than that.

It takes months to the necessary research, strategy and planning done. Then months more to deploy creative. I’d love to see at least two cycles, plus a few quarters to see if things are beginning to gain some traction, myself.

By: Patrick Byers

Patrick Byers — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:41:10 +0000

Will: I agree. It can be a challenge getting to invest in a long-term integrated marketing strategy (that will have legs) vs. tactical, a la carte short-term marketing that brings a little lift now (but has little meaning in the future).

By: Patrick Byers

Patrick Byers — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:36:57 +0000

Vineet: Funny you say that. I actually had a much more detailed draft on this post. So detailed, in fact, that I broke it out for a future post.

I’ve received feedback that says some of my posts are quite good (which I love to hear) but I bit long (which I don’t love to hear). So, there will be more on the topic, but you’ll need to stay tuned.

By: Neal Stewart

Neal Stewart — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:04:37 +0000

2 years minimum. But both sides owe each other the commitment. Many companies whack the marketing guy too soon, but many marketing dept heads leave when the going gets tough.

By: Will Boyd

Will Boyd — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:59:00 +0000

That is a great metaphor. Our culture has trained us to want everything, including marketing results, now. It seems that organizations that are looking to use social media for marketing are no exception. I think people hear terms like “viral” and expect that just putting something out there into the social media space will provide instant success.

When I read “casting responsibility, I can’t help but think of organizations that won’t want to dedicate talented people to a campaign that doesn’t show immediate results. What I hear in your post, and correct me if I’m wrong, is that organizations should bed prepared to be dedicated to their message. It seems to me that if they are dedicated to their message, they will be much more likely to commit the resources (people and funds) and time necessary to tell that message responsibly. After all, even though it was tough at times, you seemed dedicated to those cars.

By: Vineet

Vineet — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:37:06 +0000

This is the first time i am reading ur blog. I agree with what u are saying but then momentum builds up once things get rolling and this is true not only with marketing but with nearly everything we do.

This post could have better content had it addressed the marketing momentum aspect in a bit more detail.