Every department of an organization plays a role in how the enterprise is perceived. Marketing is an organism and steps must be taken to preserve its health. 

The Marketing ‘Organism’
Introducing a new concept for growing companies

As organizations become larger and more sophisticated—usually a sought after goal, their departments begin to work against one another. Eventually these organizations fail to meet the needs of customers and prospects and red ink flows.

A good example is the collapse of iconic General Motors. While the company placed ever more creative advertising, its market share continued to plummet. Marketing made promises of delivering quality cars, while manufacturing turned out gas-guzzling “rust buckets” with an increasing number of cheap plastic parts.

“The Marketing Organism, like a living creature, is much more than the sum of its parts. And, like a living being, it doesn’t last very long unless all of the organs are healthy and working together,” says COCO+CO. President and CEO Tim Coco. “All departments must be inextricably linked into the marketing effort – there can be no exceptions and no prima donnas. The leader of marketing is the leader of the organization. Success or failure always comes from the top,” he says.

As a business inevitably expands beyond the immediate view of the owner or leader, risks from “marketing/operations disconnects” also increase. Unfortunately, many companies are unaware of these problems even as their front counter staff pleads ignorance of new programs or, worse, scowls at important customers and influence people. Use tactics such as “management by walking around” or COCO+CO.’s Beneficial Benchmarks^SM to assess disconnects.

‘Frugal’ or unethical?

Other departments, seemingly far enough away from impacting customers and prospects, may also be harming the long term success of the organization. Actions and conduct of accounts payable and receivable departments often create ill will that becomes widely known. On one hand overly aggressive collection efforts may give your company a bad reputation. Watch for employees who take collections personally and resort to shouting, fowl language or threats.

Likewise, word of your consistently late bill paying, bullying to reduce invoices and other posturing will get around. In fact, don’t forget the vendor your business is interrogating may well be a customer or influence someone else’s purchase. In this economy, most vendors are willing to work with companies experiencing financial problems. However, there’s no sympathy for unethical players.

Besides the obvious public relations issues, organizations with good cash flows should watch for complaints about unpaid bills. Sometimes, a company embezzler is paying late to cover for his or her own “withdrawals.”

GM: better ads or better cars?

The long term success of the new General Motors is debatable. The good news is that GM Vice Chairman Robert A. Lutz (at left) is reportedly upset over the company’s marketing efforts. He correctly complained GM’s advertising needs to demonstrate how the company is “different” and not simply rely on “creativity.” “That Buick commercial tested very well, which is not the same as saying that it’s an effective ad,” Lutz said in a Webcast last month.

Marketing guru Al Ries has another take. “Marketing comes first, advertising comes second. That’s why Bob Lutz seems to be on the wrong tack when he immediately focuses on fixing the advertising,” said Ries in a recent article in Advertising Age. “Without a story, no advertising, no matter how brilliant, is going to work. BMW’s story is ‘driving.’ Toyota’s story is ‘reliability.’ Mercedes’ story is ‘prestige,’” Ries explained.

In the end, GM will need to make better vehicles if its advertising is to work at all.

Today’s successful organization operates much like a living organism with all departments working together in the marketing mix.

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