First 100 days

Communities and Corporations....a clash of cultures? or an opportunity for social software?

In OxfordSM's training work with major corporations, we constantly grapple with ways to optimise the sharing of marketing insight and best practice around fragmented marketing functions.

However, even more critical is the way that marketing culture spreads into other functions.

And more critical still is the way that market-led behaviours are institutionalised within front-line encounters and back office relationships.

At least part of the answer lies in an open-source approach...as highlighted in this Economist piece.

However, bringing open-source thinking into marketing demands a radical culture shift, from one that sees customers and colleagues as static knowledge-repositories, to one which sees them as dynamic collaborators.

The question is...can marketing communities actually ever perform a decision-making role within a corporate environment? or must they play the role of agent provocateur...?

Posted by Editor at 10:48 AM | Permalink

David Cameron is close to finishing his First 100 Days as leader of the Conservative Party. Media coverage and many opinion polls have been favourable. He seems to be leading a fundamental realignment of the Party to meet the needs of consumers previously alientated.

But, from a marketing perspective, how succesful has he really been? Send us your views.

Posted by Editor at 5:54 PM | Permalink

One of the key leadership challenges of any executive is the establishment of a strong culture.

There can be few stronger cultures that the 'one firm' culture of McKinsey, and few better articulations of values-based leadership than that of Marvin Bower, its leader, who led the organisation's change from 'efficiency experts' to management consultants. One memo is often referred to as the tipping point for that transformation.

"We are what we speak - it defines us - it is our image. We don't have customers, we have clients. We don't serve within an industry, we are a profession. We are not a company, we are not a business. We are a firm. We don;t have employees, we have firm members and colleagues who have individual dignity. We don't have business planes, we have aspirations. We don't have rules, we have values. We are management consultants only. We are not managers, promoters or constructors."

Bower's target for McKinsey as an enduring institution was dependent upon three characteristcs:

Common values
Common problem-solving philosophy
and Action Orientation

The difference, between McKinsey, and many other branded service organisations, is that it ruthlessly and relentlessly stuck to its principles....

As 'rules' and 'processes' have replaced values, many of today's service brands have become flabby and unreliable. Marketing leaders have a duty to put this right, and stand up for the customer's interests.

Posted by Editor at 12:39 PM | Permalink

In the 'good old' days..there was only one way to get service out of an organisation...call the PR department and threaten to expose them on 'Watchdog'...

Now, thanks to blogging, you can go direct.

Hugh Mcleod merely mentioned in his blog that he was having trouble with hisTabletPC wireless link...

After a round of 'you should go mac' jibes...Robert Scoble pops up to say...

"Funny, I read on an internal Microsoft mailing list that you're having troubles, so a group of people are trying to figure out how to help you.

One thing? This is why I put my cell phone number on my blog. 425-205-1921. You could have just called and I would have gotten you help you know. :-)

But, now that we're here, are you still having troubles? "

By all accounts the problem is now fixed...but there is a deeper conundrum here.

Improved dialogue poses a real ethcial problems for companies about the quality and consistency of their customer accountability....

Posted by Editor at 10:18 AM | Permalink