David Kaganovsky
World Wide CIO
To be a marketing professional has never been so complicated. The changes in marketing, driven by an internet-enabled communications revolution has changed the nature of our dialog with customers and has multiplied the dimensions of marketing – an already complex task.
The marketer’s relationship with the digital world is enabled and further complicated by a proliferation of technology and the data that this technology generates. In the meantime the CFO and CIO are giving more attention to the level of spend on technology for marketing. And to make matters even more interesting, software vendors, system integrators and consultancies have fixed their eyes on the opportunity to take advantage of all of this increased spend by the CMO.
I propose that there are 4 things that every CMO should be doing in response to this challenge.
One – Simplify the complex – Time to learn
How much do you really understand the sea of technologies out there? Of course it is not possible to know even a fraction of this tech complexity and every ‘scary’ Lumascape chart has taught all of us to fear this complexity. It is almost a Pavlovian response when we see those busy charts, showing the variety of tech available to us and the partners all happy to service our needs in this new and ever changing world.
Well, let me tell you a secret, none of this technology is scary and most is easily understandable with time and a browser pointed at your favorite search engine. I have seen “experts” busily researching a new tech vendor or concept during coffee breaks. This is not a criticism of those experts. Quite the opposite. Their cleverness and depth of knowledge is what allows them to use easily available information to get educated and to understand the meaning and context of the complex.
I challenge the CMO to be equally curious. Make a list of what you don’t know, find the time to read and research, and if that is not possible, leverage the expertise in your circle to constantly learn. This includes your existing partners. Below I will discuss .
Two – What’s your tech strategy? – Nothing beats a plan
Too often I meet business executives who believe that a technology strategy is the business of their CIO (or head of digital). This cannot be further from the truth. The fact is that the CMO must own the technology strategy and not having a strategy (and corresponding roadmap) is like being lost in the woods.
A technology strategy begins with an understanding of what you have today. The technology strategy must begin with the sober understanding of where you are with the existing capabilities and skill sets in the people who operate your current technology estate. Of course all of this has to be tied back to a set of business objectives suited to become very clear to anyone what the purpose of your technology strategy is and how it advances your marketing objectives.
With this understanding it is impossible to develop a forward-looking plan to achieve your business goals, to shape the technology investments required and to understand how this strategy can be achieved.
Three – Partner with the CIO – They’ve been here before
It is well known that the CIO and the CMO don’t always understand each other. The tension between IT and business functions has existed for a very long time. In fact, when I was with PwC one of our largest global clients even had me design and teach a class to all senior finance executives on how to learn to speak the language of IT. When effectively engaged, the CIOs organization can be a powerful and effective ally.
Your CIO will have an understanding of how to evaluate technology investments in both short and long terms. They will understand technology life cycles and maintenance costs that make up the total cost of ownership. The CIO will also be skilled at developing quantifiable ROI models that can help the CMO communicate value and cost to the CFO. Finally, the CIO will have the project management skills and rigors that are required for project success.
Of course, despite all of this the CIO is not always successful. Can you imagine your chances of success without this rigor and without the experience?
Four – Don’t go it alone – Find your advisor
Just as it is important to partner with your internal stakeholders, it is equally important to partner with the right external advisor that can give you a perspective that is beyond your organization. At the risk of sounding somewhat self serving, I believe that your media agency can be a very effective partner. You already trust your agency to help you make some very strategic and commercially significant decisions.
But no matter who is your advisor, I recommend that you look for someone who understands your marketing goals, shows true intellectual curiosity for emerging technology trends, has access to emerging technologies, companies and trends, has a vision that matches your marketing persona and above all, has an independent and unbiased view of the marketplace.
