Q: I've taken up a marketing director role and the reality is not what I signed up for. The marketing department seems to have no strategic part to play in driving business growth. We appear to be sidelined in a communications role and it is such a waste of talent. How can we convince the chief executive we must play a leading part in the business' strategic direction?
A: You're right to be frustrated not to have a strategic role. If you don't have responsibility for the big picture, who does?
Be constructive. Start by mapping out the current responsibilities within the function, regardless of how complex it might appear. Then sit down with the chief executive to review what their expectations are. They might appreciate the marketing organisation needs a radical shake-up and expect you to sort it out. Either way, aligning expectations is essential anyway.
If they are oblivious to the issues, you might have a trickier line to navigate. Talk to the head of HR and get their perspective, and speak to your colleagues. Perhaps they feel as uncertain as you and are keen to get a clearer organisation.
Global shifts
As a function, marketing is being challenged in unprecedented fashion, due to the rise of digital, sustainability pressures, market volatility, talent constraints and global power shifts. The resulting changes represent a big opportunity to support the overall transformation of the business, so that it can more effectively drive growth.
Work with your peers to get an aligned understanding of the broader strategic role marketing should play. Do your best to ensure the customer-focused agenda is central to the business.
Remember the importance of people's motivations. Ask key questions of yourself, your team, your peers, your key agencies and main suppliers, such as 'what are our roles in driving growth?' and 'what do we need to do differently?'
Marketing's core role in generating customer insight and building strong brands means it is uniquely placed to lead the customer agenda - but it must not be an ego-driven debate. The right decisions need to be taken for customers and for the business.
Mhairi McEwan is co-founder and chief executive of Brand Learning and co-author of The Growth Drivers. She is a fellow of The Marketing Society.