CMOs & Agency Execs: Share of Search is a powerful proxy and predictor of Market Share
C-suites everywhere are looking to marketing to be aligned with overall C-suite goals. They are, in essence, looking for marketing to both sign up to help deliver on major company goals and to be able to explain marketing’s contribution to overall company success. A sound starting point is for the CMO, marketing staff and agencies […]
CMOs and agency execs can learn about customer centricity from the best (and worst) of Hollywood
Hollywood entertainment is a fascinating world. Huge mega hits often arrive side by side with financially disastrous movies. It’s a high stakes environment. What’s the key to success? I believe it is customer centricity, like in most (all?) markets and categories. Unfortunately, not all Hollywood directors understand this, to the detriment of their investors. Marketers […]
CMOs: How to Get the Best from Your Agency (with FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez)
FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez By Steve Boehler with special guest Judith Carr-Rodriguez It seems like every day there is an even greater emphasis on a company’s return on marketing and advertising investment than the day before. CMOs are under intense pressure to deliver better results and they expect even greater productivity from their agencies for less […]
How to Run a Modern Agency Review in a Few Quick Sprints
Every year there are hundreds of agency selection processes in our industry. Earlier this year we shared the principles that guide our agency review process. We developed these principles with an eye towards effectiveness on behalf of our clients and respect for agencies. However, while we run a sizeable number of reviews and are a […]
Balancing Brand & Performance Marketing Investment with Marketing Star Doug Brames
There is a large and growing body of evidence that the best long-term results are achieved via a balance of both longer-term brand impacts and shorter-term performance efforts. Much has been written on the topic, and many experts have shared their research and philosophies. From Byron Sharp’s books to Peter Field’s and Les Binet’s research […]
It pays for agencies and marketers to be gracious
One of the most endearing qualities in business is the ability to be gracious. This is especially true when things don’t go our way. It’s an attractive quality and it pays dividends in our work and relationships. At a recent agency conference, a presenter declared that agencies pitching new business should not say “thank you […]
Sargento’s Chip Schuman’s Tips for Marketers
Written by Steve Boehler with special guest Chip Schuman The folks at Sargento Foods face tough challenges on a daily basis. They are a mid-sized food company going to market against some of the largest food companies on the planet. They are outspent in marketing and face off against larger R&D budgets and much larger […]
Tips for Creating Long Term Client-Agency Relationships
Business development is often looked at as the acquisition of new clients. However, an agency’s most important clients are the ones you already serve. Agencies should focus, now more than ever, on creating a relationship and experience that places their current clients as the highest priority. Good client service is simply good business. Satisfied clients […]
A Quick Guide to Killer Agency Content from Baseball’s Best Blogger
There is much that agencies can learn from baseball. Talent matters. You need a balanced roster. There are more contenders than winners. Only one team can win the (pitch) tournament. And content matters. Great content connects you with your key audiences. It gives people a reason to pay attention. And in a world with so […]
4 Efforts to Drive Organic Agency Growth
The calendar has turned over to the second half of quite an eventful year. The current economic outlook can seem frightening. Agencies are facing a number of headwinds as inflation is dampening corporate spirits (and spending) and consumers are on edge. The world is a bit of a mess right now with Covid, war and […]