This finding resonates quite intimately,
as in no other profession has there been
a huger hue and cry than in marketing,
about numerous titles bandied about, and
the expectation that ‘marketers’ are skilled
alike, and hence wired towards multi-
tasking to deliver on the different roles
within the marketing profession.
The misunderstanding from organizational
leadership with regards to the key
performance areas for marketers, include
the misconceptions that the marketing
professional will: double up as the public
relations practitioner and manage all
internal and external communication
needs for all the publics the organization
relates with; morph into the creative
designer and whip up designs for
different advertising and communication
campaigns complete with execution view
boards for approval; facilitate market
research projects and design research
tools, administer research requirements,
collect, collate, analyze and report market
research data.
This fallacy is perpetuated when we
expect marketers to develop brand
strategy direction, create strategic plans,
goals, objectives and targets for brand
cascade and internalization; plan, manage
and execute organization events both
internal and external, managing both
supplier and operational requirements
from end to end; handle all social media
and digital communication requirements
for the organization including website
development and content management;
and very interestingly as well, handle
all the sales and business development
requirements to ensure that products and
services are well packaged and delivered to
the customers as per the set targets.
The list is overwhelming and each sub-
marketing area requires different skill
specializations. Whereas one may have
talents in one or more areas, to expect
delivery on all these fronts from the
marketing manager is asking for rather
too much?
And unlike Shakespeare’s “What’s in a
name?” that postulates that names don’t
really matter, and that what’s of essence is
what the actual thing is rather than what
it is named; titles in the work place are
significant. Marketing with its numerous
nuances, is even more so.
It is important to assign appropriate titles
to different job roles to set the expectations
and have the job holder clear on what they
are expected to deliver. Lack of clarity
on job titles as is witnessed in customer
experience and marketing alike, further
serves to compound the misconceptions
around these departments and their
deliverables.
The marketer’s role needs to well defined
and equally well titled. Having inspired
marketers in the organization is a brand
builder, and no greater marketers exist
than empowered internal marketers, and
it is critical for organizations to be keenly
aware of this strength.
The research report on the state of
customer experience in corporate Kenya,
although angled towards the positioning
of customer service in both the public
and private sector, has findings that the
marketing industry would not only find
extremely useful, but also latch upon
towards further development of marketing
standards in the country.
Carolyne Gathuru is the founder and director
of strategy at LifeSkills Consulting. She
has several years of experience in customer
experience strategy development and training.
You can commune with her on this or related
issues via mail at: [email protected]
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