Big companies are like huge boulders. Hard to get moving, but once they are, forget about stopping or changing direction quickly.
This is a bad thing.
A lot of times little things will happen (the kid who built furniture out of FedEx boxes, or Starbucks closing their doors for a night of training), and these little things represent a big opportunity. But the problem is that most big companies can’t react quick enough to do anything meaningful about it. The bureaucracy slows them down.
Big companies need to develop a rapid response group. A small group of marketers with different talents that have a small (but actionable) budget and the ability to execute their initiatives.
You can call it the Brand A-Team, Captain Brand-it, or The Fellowship of the Brand (if you’re a nerd), it really doesn’t matter. As long as they have the right people, a small budget, and a direct line, bat-phone style, to the CMO, that’s all they need.
What do you think? What are the problems? Would this work and would you like to be on a team like this?
2 Responses and Counting...
Good points, Matt. The people I consider my “mentors” in the marketing profession are the ones who identified the ability to react fast as a strength. And with that being the case, I am a big believer in reactive marketing – sure there is a need for objectives and strategy, but reacting to opportunities is just as important.
Neal,
I feel like there has to be a good balance between reactive/proactive in marketing. You can’t just sit around waiting for good situations to always present themselves, but you also can’t be a steamroller than can’t adapt and change course if need be. A very Yin-Yang type idea.