Bulldog Solutions is right in the mix with many of the mega trends that are reshaping the landscape of marketing and lead generation. Billions are flowing into online marketing, with more of the wallet share and higher spends in marketing creating a whirlwind of activity and growth in online marketing. The sophistication and evolution of these practices is still in its early stages, and the game is changing again. Web 2.0, social media, RSS - are all re-defining the rules of who sees what, when. Enterprise marketing systems are bringing powerful tools to the masses, they way that Salesforce.com has empowered sales teams.
With the ability to track, manage, and apply science, math, and process to all the stages of the marketing and sales path, most focus on the positive aspects of accountablitly. It’s interesting to me to see and feel the power and the burden of accountability. For the media world - old and on-line, internet marketing is creating equal amounts of havoc and growth. Ever since online advertising took root, they have had to continuously change and evolve their offers and rate sheets to try and keep up with the evolution of their market and client needs. The ability to track impressions and email counts quickly evolved to clicks, actions, leads, and now lead quality. In the midst of all of this the spotlight and scrutiny available because of the accountability creates ongoing challenges. A recent Research Brief from the Center for Media Research underscores that sentiment:
http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/cfmr_brief.cfm?fnl=070307
On the flip side, CMO’s and marketing departments are also under the gun to drive measurable results. Again, a recent survey from the mouths of CMO’s indicate that they are “feeling the heat from the C-suite”:
www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/FREE/70209026/1109/FREE
The flip side of the this pressure, of course, is the opportunity. In the CMO article, one quote I found important was this one:
“The CMO is becoming more of a business partner to the CEO and COO…”
What does this mean? It means the upside of all of this pressure and accountability is higher levels of importance. Marketing is no longer being seen as a necessary evil that gets the first round of budget cuts, but a core business unit that drives revenue and success. For the media world, as the stakes get higher, so does the demand. So does the value proposition. What do you think happens at the bargaining table when media companies are providing you so much insight into your lead/customer value, that it changes the value discussion? I don’t have all the answers, but I really like to ponder the possiblities.
Todd
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