Read This And Reap

Calling It The Way She Sees It - And She Calls It Right

By David Miranda

I just finished reading Julie Roehm's article, Signs Its Time To Fire Your CMO, and I highly recommend that all marketers (and non-marketers) do the same.

What companies, large and small, need to understand is that great marketing is done by those who challenge the comfort zone of the status quo; those that market like insurgents rather than incumbents; those who understand that there is a significant difference between those wanting to succeed and those not being afraid to fail.

Julie refers to The Coca-Cola Company's former CMO, the legendary Sergio Zyman. He was and remains a marketing insurgent. Now a successful consultant and author, Sergio's nickname, during his tenures at Coke, by friends and foes alike, as the Ayacola for his brash, yet innovative marketing prowess. Take a read of his first book, "The End Of Marketing As We Know It". His mantra was and is that "marketing is about selling more stuff, to more people, more often to make more money." On his watch as CMO, The Coca-Cola Company generated record sales and profits. Coke has changed marketing executives several times since his departure, but has not been able to achieve the same level of success.

Perhaps the Board of The Coca-Cola Company (and others) should read Julie's article. Perhaps they could learn a thing or two.

Borrowing from Coke's old tag line - Julie's "the real thing".

Keep it real. Thanks, Julie!

Everyone Thinks They Are A Marketing Genius

Marketing Joins The Top Ten List Of Things We All Think We're Good At

By David Miranda

The human spirit is a wonderful thing. Long live the human spirit.

If you are one of the millions of Americans who watch American Idol, particularly the tryouts, you can't help but grimace, smile, chuckle, cringe at those contestants who think, not only that they can sing, but more audaciously, think they are the next American Idol. Like the title of Sen. Barack Obama's best seller, it is the "The Audacity Of Hope". It is what is great about America. We are a nation where anything and everything is possible. But let's be honest, hope is not substitute for talent

I have put together a Top Ten List of things we all think we're good at.

1. Singing


2. Minding other people's business


3. Holding one's liquor


4. Being a better driver than others on the road


5. Selecting the ideal mate for others


6. Being the boss


7. Understanding the opposite sex


8. Being a better contestant when watching those on game shows


9. Being a good listener


10. Marketing

Yes, marketing makes the Top Ten List.

I have been in countless marketing meetings attended by lawyers, accountants, technology experts, operations executives, research analysts, etc. etc. All, by their comments, feedback, and suggestions. claim to be marketers. "I think the logo should be blue", "The tag line doesn't do anything for me." "I think the music in the ad should be a little more upbeat". "The ad needs more copy." Etc. Etc. Etc. All marketing experts.

A friend of mine, Sergio Zyman, the former CMO of The Coca-Cola Company, shared with me an interesting story. He had just finished some television spots for Coke and reported this to Roberto Goizueta, the late and venerable Chairman and CEO of the company. Mr. Goizueta asked Sergio for tapes of the ads. Asked why, Mr. Goizueta said he wanted to show them to his wife who had a good feeling for choosing ads and her feedback would be invaluable. Sergio, not missing a beat, agreed, but with one condition. "What's that?", Mr. Goizueta responded. Sergio replied, "On the condition that she buy all the cases of Coke that I am supposed to sell." Sergio went on to explain that the advertising was targeted to consumers who were going to buy Coke and Mrs. Goizueta was not the target audience." Mr. Goizueta got the point.

Good marketing is that which is targeted at the people who will buy something. In most cases, the people sitting around marketing meetings, particularly the non-marketers, need to focus less on their personal tastes and opinions and more on those who actually buy the stuff.

I highly doubt that a female CMO of a men's fashion retailer wonders how she will look in the fashions marketed. Or does a 50-year old CMO of a children's toy company actually select a marketing campaign based on his own toy preferences?

For those non-marketers in the world of business, I have two solutions. Either leave marketing to the marketers or learn marketing. Unlike singing, marketing expertise can be an acquired talent.