Marketing is rarely viewed as a process-based profession. The marketing profession is often seen as the exact opposite, compared to the process thinking, of say, project management. Marketers are expected to be creative – even when we don’t have a creative bone in our body. We are expected to provide the inspiration, not the perspiration. I wonder, however, is there something that us marketers can learn from our project and process obsessed brethren?
A process is a combination of inputs to create an output that create value. For us marketers, that means inputs that become outputs for the customer – outputs that create value. Transforming knowledge, information and data about the consumer (the inputs) means an output that results in a new feature or benefit – or even product. Not a bad definition of marketing really!
On researching this, I found that some of the biggest brands in the world use a process based methodology for building brands. Not surprising. When you have building blockbuster brands, I guess you don’t really want to wait for the muse to arrive. Marketing as a series of tools and methodologies, as opposed to a creative, story-telling metaphor in vogue today, is the platform for long term success.
Codifying this process is the real way to distil the tools and methodologies required to create brands. Taking the consumer insight and continuously trying to turn this into innovation and brand communications requires a discipline that only the best do on a regular basis.
