For most of us, the Internet has only made a real business impact in the last decade, yet marketing expert Tim Pile of Cogent Elliott is already describing it as ‘traditional media’. So if the change of pace is so fast, what should marketers do next?

Should we be very excited or deeply scared, and does it all depend on where we’re sitting?

Whether you’re agency side or client side, private or public sector, manufacturing, service or retailing, Prepare for Change. The oft-quoted phrase that ‘half of my marketing works, I just don’t know which half’ will become as anachronistic as that redundant fax machine sitting in the corner because the focus is turning to results.

It’s not that long since the choice of campaign media was whether to have a 30 second or a 60 second commercial.

Now we’re on the threshold of a revolution that fuses CRM with digital and both with mobile, and brings a new era of measurability and accountability.


The mix

The marketing mix available to us now is incredibly diverse. The fusion of digital and non-digital media, and the ability to truly engage with customers on a personal level through segmentation and CRM creates a most exciting dynamic and a vibrant platform for creative thinking.

The pace of change, through the constant introduction of new innovations and technologies, means it’s imperative that marketers on both sides of the ‘client/agency’ fence continue to try, test and refine new methods of improving the customer brand experience and engagement, whilst not getting carried away with innovation for innovation’s sake.


Ups and downs

The economic climate, along with a wider understanding of how campaigns can be tracked and measured using technology, means that there is increased demand from boards for marketers to justify investment in marketing activity, and to be more transparent and accountable for their actions.

This is being transferred to agency structures, with an increased involvement of the procurement function; the increasingly ‘business’ focused – as opposed to ‘brand’ focused – KPIs; and the increased emphasis on Payment by Results models for creative agencies.

Whilst challenging, the benefit of this is that good marketers will consistently be viewed as good whether operating in a ‘boom’ or ‘gloom’ economy because the method of measuring their skills will be constant. Operating in a recession and putting marketing spend where it delivers results is not necessarily a cheap option. It may be more expensive but it will also be more effective and ultimately deliver a better ROI.

The end of creativity?

So does measurement and accountability spell the end of creativity? It may well impact on the kind of creativity that’s solely aimed at winning awards. In my view, that’s good news because I believe that the mission of an agency like Cogent Elliott is to build its clients’ businesses and nothing else.

An agency that’s inwardly focused, or interested only in creativity for creativity’s sake won’t prosper.

One that’s focused on delivering ‘business-driven’ creativity will not only survive, but prosper as there’s always room for fantastic ideas that cut through and destroy the competition and resonate with the customer.

It’s all about what delivers results and, in the future, results are how we’ll all be judged.

Tim Pile is CEO of Cogent Elliott. Previously he was CEO of Sainsbury’s Bank, Retail Director of Alliance & Leicester, Marketing Director of Lloyds TSB and MD of Dewe Robertson.

Executive Viewpoint is written by Sue Baker, MD of Lexicon PR