Marketer's are guardians

Posted on December 9, 2005 by Dave J.

Did you all see this post: Brand Autopsy: Broken Windows. Broken Business? John Moore is summarizing a book, which can be further summarized by this one sentence from his post:

“According to Levine, broken windows are telltale signs to customers that a business doesn’t care, that it is poorly managed, and or it has become too big and arrogant to adequately deal with little details.”

Like John, I like this concept because it helps me understand why we do the things we do as marketers and businesspeople. We don’t take short-cuts, we buy new, we overspend on making a good impression. It also makes me understand my feelings as a consumer, for example when visiting a small restaurant with chairs that look and feel like they cost $40 max.

I repeatedly talk about being a tactical marketer and ‘the details will kill ya’, but this only proves the point. We have to be guardians of the brand–making sure all the broken windows are fixed right away, putting a fresh coat of paint on, and sometimes rebuilding. There is no ROI, no increased sales, no appreciation for our efforts. It’s strange how being a guardian is really just being a maintenance person.

So when being quized on your budget for next year, don’t feel ashamed for asking for a website rebuild, or a new show booth. There is no ROI, but it needs to be done. Your customers (and fellow employees) will notice if you don’t.

(Pictured is my favorite Guardian, Bob, from Reboot)

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  • Big Picture Guy

    Senior management has three prime directives: maintain operations, manage risk and grow the business – in that order. It tends to see ‘the brand’ directly related to growth and only tangentially (if at all) related to business and risk management. The result, most often, is that custodianship of the brand falls to the marketing department. It happens by default and not by design. In the context of benign neglect, there is a danger that brand, in its broadest context, will suffer. Empires crumble at the fringes. So do brands. It’s not just the broken windows. It’s the broken promises (to customers) and the broken communications (to employees). It is, therefore, incumbent upon marketers to be not just custodians but also – as you so wisely put it – guardians of the brand. See brand as a child, one to be protected and nurtured and shepherded to maturity. Bringing it to full flower is a weighty responsibility and oftimes frustrating task. But the blossoming (be it of brand or child), becomes its own reward. Regards,BPG

  • Big Picture Guy

    Senior management has three prime directives: maintain operations, manage risk and grow the business – in that order. It tends to see ‘the brand’ directly related to growth and only tangentially (if at all) related to business and risk management. The result, most often, is that custodianship of the brand falls to the marketing department. It happens by default and not by design. In the context of benign neglect, there is a danger that brand, in its broadest context, will suffer. Empires crumble at the fringes. So do brands. It’s not just the broken windows. It’s the broken promises (to customers) and the broken communications (to employees). It is, therefore, incumbent upon marketers to be not just custodians but also – as you so wisely put it – guardians of the brand. See brand as a child, one to be protected and nurtured and shepherded to maturity. Bringing it to full flower is a weighty responsibility and oftimes frustrating task. But the blossoming (be it of brand or child), becomes its own reward. Regards,BPG

  • Big Picture Guy

    Senior management has three prime directives: maintain operations, manage risk and grow the business – in that order. It tends to see ‘the brand’ directly related to growth and only tangentially (if at all) related to business and risk management. The result, most often, is that custodianship of the brand falls to the marketing department. It happens by default and not by design. In the context of benign neglect, there is a danger that brand, in its broadest context, will suffer. Empires crumble at the fringes. So do brands. It’s not just the broken windows. It’s the broken promises (to customers) and the broken communications (to employees). It is, therefore, incumbent upon marketers to be not just custodians but also – as you so wisely put it – guardians of the brand. See brand as a child, one to be protected and nurtured and shepherded to maturity. Bringing it to full flower is a weighty responsibility and oftimes frustrating task. But the blossoming (be it of brand or child), becomes its own reward. Regards,BPG

  • Big Picture Guy

    Senior management has three prime directives: maintain operations, manage risk and grow the business – in that order. It tends to see ‘the brand’ directly related to growth and only tangentially (if at all) related to business and risk management. The result, most often, is that custodianship of the brand falls to the marketing department. It happens by default and not by design. In the context of benign neglect, there is a danger that brand, in its broadest context, will suffer. Empires crumble at the fringes. So do brands. It’s not just the broken windows. It’s the broken promises (to customers) and the broken communications (to employees). It is, therefore, incumbent upon marketers to be not just custodians but also – as you so wisely put it – guardians of the brand. See brand as a child, one to be protected and nurtured and shepherded to maturity. Bringing it to full flower is a weighty responsibility and oftimes frustrating task. But the blossoming (be it of brand or child), becomes its own reward. Regards,BPG