« What is Keeping You Up at Night? | Main | What Will be Important in 2008 »
I was recently asked for a marketing plan template.
Now these do exist as my hard drive will attest to, however, the idea of templatting a marketing plan still bugs me. The essence of marketing is to set one's self apart - so to then use a template employed by others seems ironic or worse. This request by a well intentioned colleague (who had to listen to my rant) initiated a discussion around plans and planning. The discussion included:
- the loss of differentiation in templates
- the questionable value in ever changing plans
- obscuring fundamental questions with copious detail
- losing insights in data
- time and effort in planning versus doing
My definition of a plan is a unique, appropriately detailed and artfully articulate communication of one's intent to accomplish something. Unfortunately, the word "plan" now conjures up images of door stopping, boring, and fill-in-the-blanks documents. Corporations, businesses, departments, brand managers - have lost sight of the fact that a plan is a call to arms, a compelling communication, and a path that calls for progress not perfection. I am an advocate of plans and planning - I am sufficiently anal that way. However, a plan (and especially a marketing plan) must be an incitement not solely text on paper. Your thoughts?
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on November 26, 2007 5:26 PM.
The previous post in this blog was What is Keeping You Up at Night?.
The next post in this blog is What Will be Important in 2008.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
RSS
Feed
Comments (10)
Ralph Jablonski
I agree with you in theory but a template can work to get everyone on the same page quickly. And besides you cannot reinvent the wheel every time. Its not the questions that need to change in a plan but rather the answers. And i am going to use your definition of a plan because it nails it.
Posted by Ralph Jablonski | November 27, 2007 3:02 PM
John Dekker
I thought these quotes may be relevant to the discussion (the military theme is entirely coincidental):
Plans are nothing; planning is everything.
Dwight Eisenhower
Strategy cannot be reduced to a formula. Detailed planning fails due to inevitable frictions encountered: chance events, imperfections in execution, and the independent will of the opposition. What is paramount are the human elements of leadership, morale and the almost instinctive savvy of the best generals.
Von Clausewitz
Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.
General George S. Patton
Posted by John Dekker | November 29, 2007 8:39 PM
Sarah Humphries
Beyond the bits of testosterone embedded in the subject and comments, I do agree that planning's value is in the process not in what one thinks is a perfect plan. The last ten years has seen a new tension in this area involving the consensus building nature of plans. How do you balance expedience with buy-in? That is a relevant question because plans are all about getting people to move in one direction with energy and commitment - how do you do that if they are not involved in the decision-making and planning process?
Posted by Sarah Humphries | December 1, 2007 11:56 PM
Bob Emerson
I agree with Sarah. It is like companies are still struggling with command and control issues and do not trust the balance of their employees to make real contributions to the business. Instead they issue useless edicts from the corner office resulting in everyone going "huh?" and "who is this person that sent this?".
The best plans are fluid and responsive to the changes we see every day. Again, I agree with Sarah, it has to be inspiring!
Posted by Bob Emerson | December 8, 2007 1:29 PM
Jeff Swystun
Thanks for all of the comments and to John for his quotes provided. I wanted to add a few more planning related quotes (I love quotes):
The second assault on the same problem should come from a totally different direction.
Tom Hirshfield
A good plan this week is better than a great plan next week.
Anon.
It is more important to be prepared to put almost any plan into action depending upon circumstances, than to put a specific plan into action. What is critical is flexibility, speed and timing.
Paraphrased from Sun Tzu
Here is an extra quote that explains why I like quotes!...
The quote captures an idea or teaching in a few words – concisely and with impact.
J. Weiss, The Quotable Manager
And a last quote to support the use of quotes!...
When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it.
Anatole France
Posted by Jeff Swystun | December 9, 2007 2:04 PM
Jock Postle
Jeff, I am glad you added that last quote because when it comes to your paper on Brand Consistency I have had no scruples. I have been stealing from it and sharing it widely!
Posted by Jock Postle | December 10, 2007 7:30 PM
Graham Leeds
What I find irritating in the planning process for global companies is the regional versus global mess that results when the two interests collide. And yes, they are usually differing interests!
Posted by Graham Leeds | December 12, 2007 5:03 PM
Jarislov Lebonski
It is clear that if you "fail to plan you plan to fail". However, history shows in war, commerce and love, the secret to success is consistent execution. Please post more often. This is a very worthy subject area.
Posted by Jarislov Lebonski | December 16, 2007 12:57 PM
Rachel
Planning is important so you know where you begin because not knowing this, you wouldn't know where you're going.
It also gives you focus about whether or not what you are trying to achieve is even realistic at all.
The only worry I have about a "marketing plan template" is "losing insight in data". It may be a matter of how you write the "template" and in what order. Using questions instead of headings always yields a better plan.
Posted by Rachel | December 20, 2007 12:59 AM
miro slodki
Jeff
the value of a template (as I see it ) is to ensure a minimum level of consistency across the organization. One would hope that the minimum does not constraint the business unit from addressing the key strategic and tactical issues facing the brand. One would hope senior management would be there as a backstop to ensure that all salient issues are evaluated.
As an aside - I would like to share with the group a two part paper/article I wrote on my blog: http://miroslodki.wordpress.com/articles/the-anatomy-of-a-brand-purchase-part-1/
The central thesis is that a brand will achieve greater market success when it comes to recognize and respond to one of 4 basic types of (economic/Wallet, rational/Mind, emotional/Heart, mature/Life) relationships that its customers can have with the brand. These relationship characteristics define what elements of the brand value chain they will be more receptive to and the kind of ‘psychological’ language that marketers should be using when communicating with those brand customers.
Once defined, using the same (W, M, H, L) relationship characteristics allows marketers to transform a media neutral planning model into a marketing integration impact (MII) tool that will identify the combinations of Communication, Experience and Overture events that have yielded a successful purchase, and with it evolve to more balanced tactical and strategic initiatives that can be attributed back to an ROI.
Purchase (P) = xC + yE + zO = 1
The following outlines some thoughts and approaches first put forward in “The Ultimate Decision” and “ Share of Life” posts and extends it through to a model structure that seeks to develop a healthier balance in nurturing purchase tipping events.
Appreciate your review and comment
Miro
Posted by miro slodki | February 11, 2008 10:30 PM