Social Media isn’t Replacing Marketing Folks…
I was reading Marketing News (the American Marketing Associations’ magazine) recently, the 5.30.09 issue on Measuring, and I came across an interesting quote in their “Measure Up” article (you need to be a member to access the article) on the return on marketing investment (ROMI):
“Marketing is in the process of maturing from a communications function to a business function.” (Tom O’Toole, adviser with Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Inc.)
Say what?
The first concern I have with this limiting comment is that marketing has never only been a communications function. Let’s not forget that there are 4 P’s in the traditional marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion). Yes, I get that the statement was used to, perhaps, make a valid point that marketing needs to be an “accounting line item for ROI (i.e. business function).” But from a business perspective, all 4 P’s have always been measureable (in one form or another) and those managing these functions can and should be held accountable for their budgets, spending and ROI (if we spent X, what was the return). Is there a communications aspect with all 4 Ps? Sure people always communicate, right? But let’s assume with this particular statement Mr. O’Toole is addressing the “Promotion” aspect of marketing and equating “communications” to things like advertising, direct mail, online, interactive, PR, etc.
The second is that even if we look at marketing promotions alone, accountability isn’t anything new and any marketing communications manager, VP or CMO that isn’t measuring marketing communications objectives (and campaigns) is doing a complete disservice to the profession and the company (that business function referred to in the comment). That said I get that marketers struggle with planning, measuring ROI and dealing with accountablity. It’s also tough to work within a corporate mindset (client- or agency-side) that if a campaign doesn’t bring in positive ROI (and lots of press or leads) marketers might face retribution instead of redirection. (BTW, we need to change that mindset.) I also understand that a lot of marketing management skips the important step of planning at all.
From a measurement and communications perspective, marketing has many aspects that need to be considered, understood and―more importantly―bridged by tearing down marketing silos so that marketers work together AND have experience across the mix. For example, often product managers & product marketers determine the product/service and pricing long before marcom folks are tapped into for promotion. And business development folks determine the distribution (place) for the product. And it’s the marketing researchers that help the product managers & product marketers (and sometimes the marcom folks) to determine the product/service or if there’s even a market for it in the first place. I could go on with lots of combinations, but you get my point. It’s marketing management’s job to ask the basic questions like “did that supply chain partner help to reduce costs, increase sales and justify the marketing communications costs of selecting them as a business partner?” or “did the marketing research we conducted help the product marketers prove that there was a market for our new product and was that research built into the price of the product?”
I am sure by now you are thinking “Beth, so what does all of this have to do with social media?!” Well, I have noticed a trend that people are stating, thinking or promoting that social media will replace all the corporate (and agency) ills of marketing and that just isn’t the case.
I wanted to demonstrated that marketing is complex and isn’t just about communications (I hope I accomplished that in a simple manner…otherwise you’d be here all day reading a textbook or 10). As well, many marketing functions reside outside of the marketing communications department. And yet, they all need to work together, like well oiled gears. So while I do think social media (the tools and the concept) can help enhance all of the 4 Ps, it definitely won’t replace them. Saying that is equivalent to saying social media will replace accounting or HR.
My question is this… if you think that social media will replace marketing, share with us how you think it will replace all the four Ps and how you will measure the return.
[Image: iStock]
Even More Goodness! Related Posts:
Tags: 24 Responses to “Social Media isn’t Replacing Marketing Folks…”
The Harte of Marketing by Beth Harte is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.theharteofmarketing.com. [If you have a question about what you can use from this blog, click on the above Creative Commons link to learn more.]
I completely agree. We generally tend to think of marketing only in the form of MarComm and advertising and not the 4Ps that are drilled into our heads during Marketing 101. To add, social media will not completely replace the other marketing mediums that exists. Social media may change our other forms of communication the same way TV changed Radio, but there are still multiple ways we can reach our customers ‘offline’. Surely, it will be an ongoing battle as marketers tweak any part of the 4Ps to measure success.
Nice post Beth, but I think the question is moot.
Social media is not a (marketing) process, it’s a channel. So it’s like asking will a channel replace a process – of course not.
A possible question to ask is how you market using social media. Are the 4p’s the right approach for social media. I think not. 4ps are heavily product centric. Social media is heavily consumer centric. Therefore the best approach would be more of a relationship building based on solving consumer issues and engaging them in conversation. And that ain’t marketing from the traditional perspective.
As far as accountability goes, how about conversions, lead generations, traffic, and so on. These are all easily measurable and should be the targets by which any social media marketing is based on.
Just a thought
Steve Seager
Steve Seager’s last blog post..Most excellent bedfellows? Public relations and social media
@Nedie, “social media will not completely replace the other marketing mediums that exists…” Indeed. Traditional marcom isn’t going away either.
@SteveSeager, “4ps are heavily product centric. Social media is heavily consumer centric….” Hmmm, I can think of a lot of ways that social media can be used in all 4Ps. Product developement, supply chain marketing, etc. To your point, social media is about sharing information, conversations and building communities…so why not extend that to all 4Ps to tap into the customers/community to help build better products and services? Sandy Carter from IBM has used social media to help with their sMash product development.
I agree with Steve Seager that social media is just a channel. Unfortunately too many marketers make the mistake of considering much of the web as channels. The real adjustment for marketers comes with the Social Web, no channels, but the web as a universe of shared events and information. Here at Nemo we had a panel discussion about it, you can find it here – http://www.social-cache.com/2009/06/seo-and-sem-will-be-dead-as-you-know-it-in-6-months
Dave Allen’s last blog post..SEO and SEM Will Be Dead As You Know it in 6 Months
[...] View post: Social Media isn't Replacing Marketing Folks… | Harte Marketing … [...]
Great post. Any senior marketing professional knows exactly how much of a business function marketing really is. Marketing needs to be held accountable for revenue somewhere along the way because it is the only measure of effectiveness that matters at the end of the day.
I also disagree that Social Media is a “channel”. Thinking about it that way encourages marketers to use SM only as a medium to push out messages instead of trying to develop relationships with customers where both sides benefit.
April’s last blog post..Will PR own Customer Relationships?
Interesting!
In the past, offline media was one of the major mediums to promote one’s business and brand awareness. However, with the increasing popularity of the online media and its positive results, more people are turning to online marketing techniques to build a strong business presence across the globe. There are several online marketing strategies we can use for our Internet marketing solutions, but SEO (search engine optimization) today has taken a stance much ahead of any other technique.
SEO brings with it tremendous scope for business improvement with improved keyword positioning, improved ranking and overall increase in the ROI and cuts down on the PPC cost extensively in the long run. This is a proven marketing solution if done the right way using the right techniques based on your website requirements.
I thought this information would be helpful for those who wish to promote their website and get great results.
[...] original here: Social Media isn't Replacing Marketing Folks… | Harte Marketing … [...]
This post is right on target and points out what struggling or failing companies need to know which is what marketing actually is. You can make the best product, but if no one knows about it and can’t easily buy it, then you go out of business.
Any method to communicate the product (which can just be the brand too), i.e. reach a customer and have them reach you, is a “channel.”
SM is, thus, most definitely a channel. And all channels are two way or you are wasting your time and money.
Relationship building, solving customer problems and engaging in conversation is most definitely traditional marketing. I could scream right now. What do you think is going on when a store manager takes the time to talk to you, that is engaging in conversation.
The communication channels are what have changed (expanded)!!!
Now the CEO of Zappos makes himself available on Twitter, posts items of interest and starts a conversation…he could be walking through a store.
Too many marketing folks like to dazzle you with all this “it’s new” and “you don’t understand it” baloney so they can bill you for unmeasurable results – because they often are good at the dazzle/lingo and not the numbers.
Smart, successful companies never forget the 4 Ps and always seek to put the customer first (i.e. build a relationship, solve their problems, engage in conversation…). Oh and they do it with their employees too. Cheers
I agree that social media is just a new channel, but what gives it so much power is the ability for your customers to define and own your brand. Companies who still hold on to “message” might find it hard to survive in this emerging relationship economy. The 4Ps are still relevant, but the landscape has shifted. These days, your customers are just a “Yelp” or “Tweet” away from being in the driver’s seat.
TH’s last blog post..Social Media: An Inconvenience or an Opportunity?
I think the unfortunate reality is that many businesses do only define marketing in terms of marcomm rather than as a truly strategic leader that defines ways to increase consumer value and drives organizational change to deliver that value.
Call me naive, but I view a key benefit of businesses engaging in social media marketing is in listening to those customers who are vocal about your brand and company within social media channels and in responding to their concerns and in thanking their praise.
sure you’ll get a mailbox full of comments from your closing challenge…. one thing I would like to have seen is a link to a post, article, whatever containing the controversial statement in question that was not immediately refuted by social media practitioners. there is a lot of fluff out there right now, but it’s not being spread by serious marketing professionals, is it?
Todd Randolph’s last blog post..the golden intersection
I agree that Social Media is not and will not replace marketing and love to hear it when other remind marketers (and those who think they are marketers just because they Tweet occasionally about their product/service) that there are so many more facets to marketing than just communication.
Granted, communication is a biggie and I don’t believe that you can have a successful marketing campaign without it, but I think many have forgotten the “Integrated” in “Integrated Marketing Communication.” You wouldn’t have a campaign that just used one form of media, so how could just one form (social media) replace all the others?
Social media is just one more tool in the marketers toolbox. Embrace it? Yes. Use it to build relationships and conversations with your customers? Yes. Use it exclusively to the exclusion of other forms of media? Sure if you leave out a large portion of your audience.
And Beth, if any one is able to take you up on your challenge, see if they can justify replacing the extended marketing mix!
[...] original here: Social Media isn't Replacing M… Share and [...]
Social Media is another arrow in my quiver. It doesn’t replace the other arrows, it simply adds to my ability to reach customers.
Beth, did you read Sandy Carter’s – New Language of Marketing 2.0.? I think the case studies say it all.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0137142498?ie=UTF8&tag=dylanisms-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0137142498
Oh Beth, that quote from the AMA mag was a spooky one. What did it even mean? All this talk about marketing and social media almost sounds like they are two separate things – WRONG.
I don’t know how many times I think and say this, but social media is a part of marketing. I think people like you and me who have an integrated communications background have an advantage because our minds automatically think…”Ah, social media, how can I incorporate it into my current/future marketing plan?”
Measurement is becoming something that means different things to different people/organizations. There are benchmarks and best practices out there, but every company is still unique.
I see no shortage of commenters who agree with you that social media is no substitute for a well-executed, integrated marketing strategy. I agree, too – my issue is that I have not seen any credible sources saying that social media can or should replace marketing. you write a strong defense – but against whom?
Todd Randolph’s last blog post..the golden intersection
[...] This post was Twitted by glecharles – Real-url.org [...]
I just wonder why someone wants to say Social Media is replacing marketing in the first place.
Hannes’s last blog post..Bill Isaacs on Powerful Listening
@Casey Parker You beat me to it and are spot on. It’s the ‘ol “if you can’t dazzle them, baffle them” mentality. The main P in the mix is people (also known as clients and customers). Marketing is everything necessary to attract, nurture and retain customers. Social media is a nice tool in delivering to the get and keep customers objective, but it definitely isn’t the objective. We as marketers need to put our customer hats on in setting strategies and tactics (social media) and then measure how well we’ve attracted, nurtured, and retained while keeping down costs and increasing profits. Once we’ve “talked the talk” or communicted, the brand best be “walking the walk” and delivering to its customers.
Troy Scheer’s last blog post..Welcome to TRANCE Marketing Group!
Wow, I don’t think I can add anything more to all the great comments, opinions and insights provided here!
@Hannes, the answer to your question varies by who is saying it. Typically it’s a comment from someone who doesn’t understand the entire marketing mix. They might only understand one portion like communications or SEO.
@ToddRandolph, take a look at @VictorSEO’s comments in the “Social Media: The marketing miracle!” post. That’s what sparked this. As well, it’s just the buzz I have seen through the years. I don’t have any particulars to point you to…sorry.
It’s amazing how quickly things move on the web. Since I commented above on 6/8/09 Facebook has launched its vanity url. If you haven’t already you should grab one. I feel this feeds into the notion of how the social web moves the discussion away from social media (which I see as a channel for marketers) to participation and hearing.
With that in mind, perception is everything – experiential brand awareness and reputation management trump inbound marketing I believe. Anyway more thoughts here – http://www.social-cache.com/2009/06/authenticity-and-authority-on-the-social-web
Marketing is an ambiguous term with several meanings. Philosophically it has always been a business outlook (mind-set) that is concerned with understanding what things ‘do’ for people not what they ‘are’. Therefore it is a strategic endeavour that seeks to understand, create and deliver competitive value propositions. Competitive Strategy is marketing by any other name. Additionally Borden’s classification of the 4ps was and always ever was a sense-making tool – its not REAL folks!! Gronross Gummesson et al also suggest 3 more ps Physical appearance, Process and People. The last P is key both internally and externally for the organisation.
Whilst marketing folks are expected to be skilled in Social Influence (what communication ‘does’ not what it ‘is’) Marketing is so much more that catchy straplines, nice images and blogs
reasonable robinson’s last blog post..She Should Have Had ‘Gullible’ Tatooed On Her Forehead
[...] Mix. This session was an in-depth look into how IBM integrated social media into their traditional marketing mix/plan to engage with an active online SOA (Software Oriented Architecture) community. For this [...]