One of the (many) things that I find both amusing and frustrating in the ongoing debate about marketing’s role in the business is that so often people on both sides on the debate (ie, marketing rules versus marketing sucks) forget that marketing isn’t synonymous with marketing communications.
Marketing 101.
Marketing is the four Ps: Product, Price, Place, Promotion.
Marketing Communications is primarily concerned with one P: Promotion. It is part of marketing, it is not ALL of marketing.
Going forward in my writing, I plan to be very clear about which thing I am praising or criticizing: a marketing strategy or a marketing communications plan/tactic that is part of an overall marketing strategy.
It is an important distinction.
Here, here! It is a very important distinction and one which I see discussed rarely. Blogs and marketing articles are thick with discussions on advertising and new marketing communication tools.
Just recently I read piece on Seth Godin’s blog Called “The Tolstoy Rule” which was a perfect expample of the myopic nature of many marketing discusions: (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/03/the_tolstoy_rul.html)
My point is that case studies of marketing (which he claims are not necessary) failures should go far beyond what marcom strategy failed into deconstruction of the overall marketing strategy.
They are not all alike unless you consider only the promotion aspect of the failures.
Thanks for the note, and for visiting Marketing Roadmaps. I agree with you. I think we spend far too much time on creative, ’cause it’s “fun” and not nearly enough time on getting the fundamental strategy right, ’cause that’s HARD!
Scandalous though it may be, I believe that so-so creative will still do all right if the fundamental strategy is sound. But the slickest promo campaign cannot save a crappy strategy.
And you should always strive for excellence in both.
Horse vs. Cart (bone before dog?)
Susan Getgood picks up an old saw of ours about strategy vs. tactics: “so-so creative will still do all right if the fundamental strategy is sound. But the slickest promo campaign cannot save a crappy strategy. And you should…
Ries and Moore: Both right, both wrong
I’m always happy when I stumble upon things that keep me thinking about previous posts. And today is no exception. Susan Getgood over at Marketing Roadmaps highlights the confusion between “marketing” and “marketing communications.”