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

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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

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marketing
2012

There are many causes of failure

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

But the root cause is relatively simple

Marketing Plan Implementation

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malcolm mcdonald
marketing
2012

Do you have the three pre-conditions for

successful implementation?

Implementation

3. A Good Marketing Plan

2. An Implementationfriendly Environment

1. Good
Leadership
Marketing Plan Implementation

Good Marketing Plan,

Good Change Capability,
Calculated Risk-taking,
Good Goal-alignment
Understanding the change required,
having a good talent pool of human
resources, having a good organizational
environment, having sufficient financial
resources and a good marketing strategy

Good Business Leadership, Marketing Leadership

and Change Leadership

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marketing
2012

The Implementation Steps

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

Step 1: Anticipate

Marketing Plan
Change Plan

Marketing Plan:
Think forward
What conditions will we be facing?
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

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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
Act small
Evaluate the results
Marketing Plan Implementation

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malcolm mcdonald
marketing
2012

Step 3: Accelerate

Act big
Marketing Plan Implementation

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
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malcolm mcdonald
marketing
2012

Step 4: Integrate

Think back

Marketing Plan Implementation

Human resources (at all levels, their

commitment, ability and resourcing levels)
The organization (including its structure,
culture, metrics, processes and reward
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)
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marketing
2012

Implementation must be flexible

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

How can we sense how well it is going?

Marketing Plan Implementation

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malcolm mcdonald
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

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marketing
2012

Using new tools like Simulations

Replicate current and future
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 redone to be more robust...
...Thereby improving the chances of successful implementation
Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

Use your existing marketing skills in new ways

Implementation Progress in all 33 internal segments
2009

NA
EMEA
Division A
50.0%
0.0%
Division B
100.0% 100.0%
Division C
100.0%
75.0%
Division D
85.7%
66.7%
Division E
90.0% 100.0%
Division F
100.0% 100.0%
Division G
50.0%
0.0%
Division H
80.0%
80.0%
Division I
100.0% 100.0%
Total
90.3%
49.0%
Source: Global engineering business

AP
63.6%
N/A
100.0%
66.7%
0.0%
33.3%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
60.0%

LA
100.0%
N/A
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
N/A
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%

Total
27.0%
100.0%
91.7%
78.6%
80.0%
84.0%
50.0%
83.3%
100.0%
70.9%

Internal marketing +
Change leadership =
Marketing change
leadership

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

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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

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marketing
2012

Reduce your risks of failure

Bottom-up
Implementation

Successful
Implementation
Growth
Idea

Low

Commercial
Risk
-Organization
-Strategy
-Change
High
-Financing

Growth
Growth
Idea
Idea

Top-down
Implementation

Perilous
Implementation
High

Low
Commitment Risk

Stakeholder Attitude, Ability, Resourcing, Relationships

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

Beware, this is not a traditional process

audit

Marketing Plan Implementation

strategy

plan

execute

review

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marketing
2012

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

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

Think of it like the Helm of a boat

Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

The Helm Implementation Model

Think

Perform

Integrate

Anticipate

(Think back/
Refine

(Think forward/
prepare)

Evaluate
(Test)

Accelerate

Initiate

(Act big/
Roll out)

(Act small/
pilot)

Probe

Act
Marketing Plan Implementation

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marketing
2012

The CMO of tomorrow

Establishing direction*
Aligning people*
Motivating and inspiring*
Political Entrepreneur
Trusted Advisor
Innovator

Marketing
Leadership

Planning and budgeting*

Organizing and staffing*
Controlling and problem-solving*

Relationship
Management

Project
Management

Risk
Management

Change strategy
Change tactics
Getting buy-in where needed

Change Management

Marketing strategy
Marketing tactics
Marketing operations

Marketing Management
*Source: Kotter
Marketing Plan Implementation

Risk awareness
Risk assessment
Risk mitigation

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marketing
2012

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

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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

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marketing
2012