Why Measurement Alone Will Not Lead to Better Marketing By Karl Gustafson and Rich Schreuer (as published on adage.com)
Companies that have strong performance-driven cultures support the classic adage that "You can't manage (or improve) what you can't measure." We recently interviewed 400 companies and found the important corollary: Measurement alone will not lead to results. Download PDF
The 2nd Annual CMO's Agenda By J. Mark Carr and Alan Hart
This new round of in-depth conversations with 30 additional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) reveals the need to redefine the role of the lead marketer. But in order for CMOs to reach this more elevated and transformational role they must be willing to forsake many previously accepted practices and assume greater accountability. Download PDF
The Marketing Performance Advantage By J. Mark Carr, Barre Blake and Karl Gustafson
This landmark survey of more than 400 companies uncovers some of the key attributes of successful marketing organizations and the practices they employ. Those companies that excel at marketing performance management are reaping the rewards by taking a more holistic approach to improvement; both measuring AND managing their marketing performance. Download PDF
Build Your Brand from the Inside Out By Morgan Daloisio (as published on branchannel.com)
Did you know your best brand asset walks out your door every night? Employees can be your most powerful brand proof points, either reinforcing or breaking your brand’s promise every time they interact with a customer, shareholder or even another employee. Learn how you can begin building your brand from the inside out. Download PDF
How Solid is Your Foundation?: Addressing CMO Tenure By Karl Gustafson
Too often Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) can fail to recognize the critical linkage between a strong internal foundation and the ability to execute effectively externally. In this article we explore how CMOs can seek to extend their tenure by exploring how to better align themselves with their c-level peers in order to be more successful in the marketplace. Download PDF
The Case for Customer Intimacy: Transforming Retail Financial Services By Alan Hart and Octavio Sacasa
Retail financial services firms face a steep uphill challenge in regaining customer trust and developing a strategy to succeed with a seemingly new paradigm. This article considers how focusing on customer intimacy may be the best path to achieving growth. Download PDF
Rewriting the Rules of PR By Russ Lange, Octavio Sacasa, Meghan O'Donoghue
Get an insider’s view of how consumer usage of social media outlets is influencing how companies manage their brands through public relations. CMG Partners interviewed Peter Shankman, prolific social media expert, for this special series. Download PDF
Sparking Transformation within your Organization By J. Mark Carr and Alan Hart (as published on marketingmagnified.com)
In this article for the CMO Council’s e-journal, Marketing Magnified, we explore seven ideas and thought starters for leaders to transform their organizations. These concepts flowed out of our conversations with CMOs as well as our experience helping firm get more out of their growth opportunities, customer bases and marketing investments.
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Marketing: Noun or Verb? By Alan Hart (as published on mediapost.com)
Published in MediaPost’s Marketing Daily, we explore the need for marketing executives to be active leaders of transformation in their organizations, a concept that surfaced in our CMO Agenda study as critical in marketing’s quest to earn a seat at the executive table.
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The CMO's Agenda By J. Mark Carr and Erin Hyatt
Get an inside look into what marketing issues CMOs have on their agenda today. Through in-depth conversations with 30 CMOs and lead marketers, CMG Partners provides insights into perspectives on the role marketing should play within the organization, commonalities in marketing practices as well as expectations around how marketing will evolve over the next few years. Download PDF
Improving Product Launches By Warren Katz, Laura Papero and J. Mark Carr
Why do good products fail? Are there common mistakes that can ensure a new product or service will face certain doom? We prefer to rely on proven fundamental principles rather than silver bullet solutions. Better understand what tools have been shown to differentiate successful launches and how you can effectively explore the risks involved with your next launch. Download PDF
Putting the Microscope on Marketing Performance By Barre Blake and Meghan O'Donoghue
Financial realities demand that marketers adapt quickly and exhibit a willingness to change their approach at a faster rate. As budgets are re-evaluated will you be ready to make tough choices? Knowing how to market effectively without sacrificing long-term goals begins with identifying techniques of how to validate marketing efforts that truly drive results. Download PDF
Go to Battle for Your Customers By Karl Gustafsonand J. Mark Carr (as published on marketingprofs.com)
The economy is in a recession, cash is king, budgets are being slashed...don't forget one important fact during these challenging times: the source of your operating cash flow is your existing customer base. Download PDF
Brand Health Scorecard: Much More than Just a Metaphor By Warren Katz Linking brand health to business performance is a challenge for anyone hoping to measure the state of the brand in the minds of both internal and external stakeholders. CMG explains how combining both lagging and leading indicators along with measures that gauge customer perception and actual customer behavior captures a full picture of a brand’s health. Download PDF
Striking a Balance: National and Local Marketing By Octavio Sacasa Finding the right mix between national and local marketing initiatives remains a constant challenge for organizations.How do you manage the myriad of elements that can be localized and ensure that your national and local marketing teams effectively plan and execute?Learn about best practices we’ve identified that may benefit your organization. Download PDF
Brands that Walk the Walk Win By Courtnie Ross and J. Mark Carr While many marketers focus on the marketing communications aspects of branding, the companies that are winning in the marketplace take a holistic view of the brand and focus also on behaviors across internal & external touchpoints. In this article, we examine how to tackle brand alignment with an activation initiative as well as common tenets for successful implementation. Download PDF
Starting your Marketing Performance Journey on the Right Foot By Russ Lange and Barre Blake
The way to actually get an effective learning process started and sustained isn’t always self-evident, but with these five simple truths, marketers can build successful Marketing Performance programs that deliver better business results. Download PDF
The Path to Marketing Performance By Karl Gustafsonand J. Mark Carr
Understanding how your marketing organization is performing against five critical marketing performance enablers is crucial to moving forward on the path to becoming a marketing performance driven organization. Download PDF
Channel Assessment: Framework for an Optimal Customer Experience By Octavio Sacasa
While businesses are placing greater emphasis on customer centricity they often minimize the role that distribution channels play in effectively reaching their customers. This point of view provides a brief overview of the framework we utilize with clients to assess and optimize their distribution channels. Download PDF
How to Avoid Six Common Pitfalls of the Launch Process By J. Mark Carr (as published on marketingprofs.com)
Companies of all sizes and in all industries count on the launch of new products and services to achieve growth objectives. CMG Partners explores the six most common fault lines in the launch process and provides some insight on how companies can avoid these mistakes. Download PDF
Hispanic Marketing: Innovative Approached to Retail Financial Services By Octavio Sacasa and J. Mark Carr (as presented via OnSite Conference)
Competition for the Hispanic banking customer is heating up as more retail banks and other financial institutions attempt to tap into this rapidly growing market segment with dedicated initiatives. Our comprehensive analysis identifies challenges and opportunities within this highly valuable market. Download PDF
How to Achieve Lasting Improvements in Marketing Effectiveness By Alan Hart, Barre Blake and J. Mark Carr (as published on marketingprofs.com)
Marketing leaders should be asking not just how to measure effectiveness today but also how to improve marketing efforts month over month, and year over year. CMG Partners outlines how marketers can commit to continuous improvement and move to a leadership position within their organization. Download PDF
CEO as Salesperson By J. Mark Carr (as published in Sales and Marketing Management)
The CEO can sometimes prove to be a valuable asset in the sales conversation while other times serves only to delay or diffuse a deal. Our article takes a look at how to know when the CEO should be invited to the table and how to make the most of the opportunity. Download PDF
Why
The 2nd Annual CMO's Agenda
The Marketing Performance Advantage
The Customer Lens: An Approach to Customer Touchpoint Analysis
Build Your Brand from the Inside Out
How Solid is Your Foundation?: Addressing CMO Tenure
The Case for Customer Intimacy: Transforming Retail Financial Services
Marketing: Noun or Verb?
Brand Health Scorecard: Much More than Just a Metaphor
Striking a Balance: National and Local Marketing
Channel Assessment: Framework for an Optimal Customer Experience
How to Avoid Six Common Pitfalls of the Launch Process
Hispanic Marketing: Innovative Approached to Retail Financial Services
How to Achieve Lasting Improvements in Marketing Effectiveness
CEO as Salesperson