The Marketer Who Forgot to Market Themselves
I have spent the best part of twenty years telling companies how to best position themselves. How to differentiate. How to build the kind of credibility that makes a prospect lean forward instead of reaching for the close tab button. I have helped build go-to-market functions from scratch. Turned around broken pipelines. Fought for budget,…
Not Marketing’s Problem. Until It Is.
There’s a version of the marketing leader role that involves staying firmly in your lane. Running campaigns. Generating leads. Hitting that MQL target. Handing off to sales and wishing them well. Keeping your head down and not getting involved in things that aren’t technically yours to own. I understand the appeal. It’s safer. It’s cleaner.…
The Marketing Measurement Starter Pack
After I published The Lamppost Problem blog recently, some people asked: “This sounds great, but how do I actually build this?” Fair question. Knowing what to measure is one thing. Building and implementing the infrastructure to measure it properly is another entirely. It’s not exciting or sexy, but these are the steps I have taken…
The Lamppost Problem: Why Your Marketing Data Lacks Credibility
David Ogilvy, the legendary adman who built one of the world’s most successful agencies, famously said that too many people use data “as a drunk uses a lamppost: for support rather than illumination.” Early in my career, a CFO stopped me mid-presentation: “I don’t trust the numbers you’re showing me.” I was initially taken aback…
The 3 AM Marketing Manager: The Reality of Leading Global Teams
It’s 3:17 AM and I’m on a call with the APAC team. I’m wearing pyjama bottoms and a dress shirt because nobody needs to see below the camera line. My coffee’s gone cold. Again. And I’ve got a leadership meeting in four hours where I need to look competent. Welcome to global marketing leadership. It’s…
Partners, Not Order Takers: How to Reset the Marketing-Sales Dynamic
“Marketing doesn’t understand our customers.” “Sales never follows up on our leads properly.” I’ve heard these complaints in every environment I’ve worked in, and frankly, they’re both usually right. The challenge isn’t the people, it’s the relationship structure that’s completely broken. The Problem Nobody Wants to Admit Marketing has become sales’ personal content creation service.…
Dear CEO: The True Cost of Your Revolving CMO Door
If you’ve burned through three CMOs in two years, congratulations. You’ve just spent £500,000 learning that the problem isn’t your marketing hires. It’s your understanding of what marketing can and can’t do. And frankly, that’s a more expensive problem to solve than just hiring better people. A Vicious Cycle I’ve watched talented marketing leaders get…
Sensible Marketing for Daft Situations 