The Top Fractional CMO to what's what
A lot of people say they are "in marketing". Some say they are "in marketing" because they somehow feel inferior than, say, being "in advertising" and want to feel more important. Others are totally clueless. Here's an easy guide to what's what: In general, marketing is the series of disciplines that take a product --you guessed it-- to market. Advertising is the series of disciplines that create selling messages and takes them to customers. When you're hiring a CMO you are hiring someone who understands every one of those buckets and can help your company grow in a strong, measured, way.
There is a huge amount of work prior to even going into production.
- Consumer research to understand the need for the product, differentiation, positioning and more.
- Packaging decisions (excluding engineering decisions)
- Pricing
- In many cases, specific formulations (e.g., colors, flavors, aromas, varieties)
"Everything needed to create selling message and taking them to consumers" can be way more than most people realize and include (among others):
- Consumer research to validate branding and positioning statements
- Targeting including cluster analysis, lookalikes and much more
- Messaging creation
- Graphics
- Media strategy (including organic, paid, earned and more)
- Media selection, negotiating and buying, which can include everything from broadcast television down to hyper-targeted SMS campaigns
- Promotional activities
- Post campaign analysis
- Attribution models
There is also a huge amount of work to be done once you create a product:
- Distribution channels (e.g., stores, online, others)
- Shelf: position and allocation
- Trade promotions
- Trade discounts
- Co-branding or brand partnerships
- In-store media