The 5 Structural Mistakes That Break Distributed Marketing Systems Even well-funded programs fail when architecture is ignored. If you haven’t read it yet, start with Why Most Distributed Marketing Programs Break. Distributed marketing doesn’t usually collapse overnight. Instead, it slowly erodes. Brand inconsistencies creep in. Approvals slow down. Reporting becomes unreliable. Local teams begin improvising. […]
Most distributed marketing programs don’t fail because of effort. They fail because of structure. Corporate teams work hard. Local partners work hard. Agencies work hard. But without the right system design, even strong teams create friction, duplication, and brand inconsistency. So what does a high-functioning distributed marketing system actually look like? Let’s break it down. 1. Centralized Strategy, Decentralized Execution […]
Distributed marketing sounds simple in theory. Corporate builds the strategy. Local teams execute. Everyone grows. In reality, it rarely works that cleanly. As organizations expand across dealers, franchisees, agents, or partner networks, marketing becomes fragmented. Brand standards unintentionally drift, Co-op funds get misused or lost, Campaigns launch without a consistent voice, and reporting becomes unreliable. […]
Recent articles and events re-inforce the narrative started a few years ago: the retail shake-down cruise is nowhere near over. Issues with once mighty giants like Sears Holdings filing for Chapter 11 – on life support waiting for last minute funding, JCPenny becoming a penny stock for the first time since the 70’s, and others […]
I recently attended the 2018 Notre Dame Chief Marketing Officer Summit sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business. The theme was “The Future of Customer Engagement in a Digital World”. Top marketing officers from Kellogg Co, TD Ameritrade, Intuit, Keds, Constellation Brands, American Eagle Outfitters, Ally Financial, Edward Jones, and USAA shared thoughts among others.
We are well into 2018 and we’ve seen our share of stories reinforcing the narrative that large retailers continue to shrink their footprint, (Toys R Us, Foot Locker, Best Buy cell phone stores), while Walmart, Amazon and even several Chinese retailers test larger automation. This new testing is well beyond the adoption of simple tablets at casual dining restaurants like Applebee’s and Chili’s, so we’ll focus on what’s new.
Recent weeks have seen some of the largest service breakdowns and resulting PR disasters in recent memory. Everyone is aware of the United Airlines story: A flight leaving Chicago needs to free up some seats for another flight crew. After offering incentives to free up some seats, and still in need of more, they hold […]
It’s Decision Day across the United States. Billions of dollars and countless hours have been spent to get us to a decision. No matter what your politics, you have to admit it’s a tremendous undertaking. Those of us in channel marketing and marketing automation work for decisions too. For us every day is Decision Day. […]
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Amazon is axing its Fire Phone due to lack of sales cited in this article from Engadget. As I read the article and user comments I couldn’t help but laugh at my June 2014 blog on how cool this new Fire Phone was, and how its features […]
We received a letter in the mail recently at our home. It was from AT&T (and full disclosure is a client) addressed to my family who has multiple cell phone plans with the company. Upon opening I found a simple thank you letter from the Vice President and General Manager with responsibility over our local […]