Marketing Plans

How to implement them

and avoid the awful fate of others

Malcolm McDonald, Emeritus Professor, Cranfield University

Edmund Bradford, Director, Malcolm McDonald Marketing Ltd
Steve Erickson, VP Strategic Marketing, Parker Hannifin Inc

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 1

malcolm mcdonald
marketing 2012
 Implementation is a real challenge

No one said they hit their

targets all the time
Only a minority (39%) of
respondents said they hit
their targets most of the time
Most respondents (61%)
said they hit them just some
of the time or rarely

Source: Survey of senior executives in 70 organizations around the world 2011, Bradford and Erickson

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 2

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marketing 2012
 There are many causes of failure

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 3

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 But the root cause is relatively simple

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 4

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 Do you have the three pre-conditions for
successful implementation?

Imple-
mentation

Good Marketing Plan,

Good Change Capability,
3. A Good Marketing Plan Calculated Risk-taking,
Good Goal-alignment
Understanding the change required,
having a good talent pool of human
2. An Implementation- resources, having a good organizational
friendly Environment environment, having sufficient financial
resources and a good marketing strategy

1. Good Good Business Leadership, Marketing Leadership

Leadership and Change Leadership

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 5

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 The Implementation Steps

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 6

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 Step 1: Anticipate

Marketing Plan
Change Plan

Marketing Plan:
What conditions will we be facing? Think forward
Where shall we compete?
How shall we compete?
When shall we compete?
Change Plan:
What conditions will we be facing?
Where shall we implement?
How shall we implement?
When shall we implement?
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 7
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marketing 2012
 Step 2: Initiate
Pull together a small team
Agree the project spec.
The above to include the right oversight at this stage
Sketch out the vision and key elements/principles of the solution
Seek input from key stakeholders
Agree and present the outline business case for change
Convert this to strong images
Choose your first target audience
Add in basic supporting infrastructure
Assess the degree of change
Assess the risks, take action and plan the reaction
Run controlled test(s)
Look for quick wins
Evaluate the results Act small
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 8
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Act big
Marketing Plan Implementation
Step 3: Accelerate
Refine the solution
Decide the roll-out plan
Define and present the actual business case
for change
Re-form the whole team and steering group
Look for early and significant wins
Ensure real engagement by senior leadership
Add implementation targets to personal
development plans
Use a Roadshow approach
Expand external input with specific experts,
benchmarks and tools
Improve the solution as required/ possible
Build up a good supporting infrastructure
Test and evaluate the results
Slide 9
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 Step 4: Integrate

Human resources (at all levels, their

commitment, ability and resourcing levels)
The organization (including its structure,
culture, metrics, processes and reward
Think back mechanisms)
Financial resources (including the size and
timing of budgets allocated)
Strategy (including how effective it is in
delivering the desired sales & marketing
targets and sustainable competitive
advantage)
The Degree of Change required (including
its scale, nature and speed)

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 10

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 Implementation must be flexible

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 11

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 How can we sense how well it is going?

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 12

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marketing 2012
 Using the new technologies

Spot the difference:

Google Adwords
Banner Advertising
Facebook
Email marketing
Surveys
LinkedIn
Video marketing
Website analytics
Apps
Mobile marketing
Source: Chris Cardell Business Breakthroughs, Vol 1, Issue 6, Feb 2011

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 13

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marketing 2012
 Using new tools like Simulations

Replicate current and future

...Thereby improving the chances of successful implementation
Marketing Plan Implementation
market conditions
Teams play out the marketing
plan against each other
Unexpected customer and
competitor reactions can be
gauged
Different scenarios setup
The strategy can then be re-
done to be more robust...
Slide 14
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 Use your existing marketing skills in new ways

Implementation Progress in all 33 internal segments

2009 NA EMEA AP LA Total
Division A 50.0% 0.0% 63.6% 100.0% 27.0%
Division B 100.0% 100.0% N/A N/A 100.0%
Division C 100.0% 75.0% 100.0% 100.0% 91.7%
Internal marketing +
Division D 85.7% 66.7% 66.7% 100.0% 78.6% Change leadership =
Division E 90.0% 100.0% 0.0% 100.0% 80.0%
Division F 100.0% 100.0% 33.3% 100.0% 84.0% Marketing change
Division G 50.0% 0.0% 100.0% N/A 50.0%
Division H 80.0% 80.0% 100.0% 100.0% 83.3% leadership
Division I 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Total 90.3% 49.0% 60.0% 100.0% 70.9%
Source: Global engineering business

Define the internal market and competition

Segment the market into meaningful stakeholders
Understand their different needs (and look for unmet needs)
Target the right stakeholders who will most influence the change
Plan your internal marketing change strategy (e.g roll-out conversion plan)
Define your value proposition for each stakeholder segment
Use every marketing trick in the book to promote and measure the change
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 15
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marketing 2012
 ...and borrow brilliance from other disciplines

For example:
FMEA from engineering
Relationship Mapping from key account mgt.
Gantt charts from project management
Change Loop analysis from change management
Process Mapping from manufacturing

See also Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others , David Kord Murray

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 16

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marketing 2012
 Reduce your risks of failure

Bottom-up Successful
Implementation Implementation

Low Growth
Idea

Commercial
Risk
-Organization
-Strategy Growth
-Change Growth
Idea
-Financing High Idea

Perilous Top-down
Implementation Implementation
High Low
Commitment Risk
Stakeholder Attitude, Ability, Resourcing, Relationships
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 17
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 Beware, this is not a traditional process

audit strategy plan execute review

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 18

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You may need to go back-and-forth a few times

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 19

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 Think of it like the Helm of a boat

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 20

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 The Helm Implementation Model

Think

Integrate Anticipate
(Think back/ (Think forward/
Refine prepare)

Perform Evaluate Probe

(Test)

Accelerate Initiate
(Act big/ (Act small/
Roll out) pilot)

Act

Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 21

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marketing 2012
 The CMO of tomorrow
Establishing direction*
Aligning people*
Motivating and inspiring*
Political Entrepreneur
Marketing
Leadership Trusted Advisor
Innovator
Relationship Planning and budgeting*
Management Organizing and staffing*
Controlling and problem-solving*
Risk awareness
Project Risk Risk assessment
Management Management
Risk mitigation
Change strategy
Change Management
Change tactics
Getting buy-in where needed
Marketing Management Marketing strategy
Marketing tactics
*Source: Kotter Marketing operations
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 22
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 In summary

Source: DigitalGlobe

Setting off on a fixed course with a poor plan, insufficient risk

assessment, zero support from key stakeholders, poor leadership,
insufficient training, insufficient contingency planning and not
enough testing of the water can cost you dear. Make sure you are
ready for the perilous implementation journey ahead!
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 23
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marketing 2012
 Additional tools, diagnostics and help:

www.malcolm-mcdonald.com

ed.bradford@MMcD-Marketing.com

New book out on how to successfully

implement marketing plans (Summer 2012):
By Edmund Bradford, Steve Erickson and
Malcolm McDonald
Marketing Plan Implementation Slide 24
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marketing 2012