Freddie Daniells has been thinking about Brand Honesty and related matters. (He’s kind enough to reference me in his post). Here’s the context:
“Marketing is in crisis” – so said Jeff Randall, the BBC business editor, at the recent Annual Summit of the Marketing Society. “How can marketing remain relevant?” the marketing press asks. We all know there are problems, but what can we do about them?
The recommended steps invariably include greater alignment with the business, more focus on ROI, ‘learning the language of the CFO’ and doing a better job of ‘marketing’ marketing.
These are undoubtedly important steps, but assume that there is nothing wrong with marketings output – we simply need to better justify what is done and dress it up with business friendly words.
This article looks to challenge that view. I want to show that marketing is changing more fundamentally and that a broader response is needed.
I agree with Freddie, I’m bored of that old mantra about marketing needing to learn “the language of the boardroom”. I’d like to see some more fundamental changes. Freddie makes a series of good points, so the whole piece is well worth a read. I particularly like his argument that we need more risk-taking and genuine innovation instead of loads of play-safe line extensions.
