Insights on Marketing Strategy & Effectiveness:

‘Quantilitative’ Research & Beyond: New Platforms for Customer Insights [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

Web 2.0 is doing a lot more than simply facilitating exciting new ways to establish a brand’s relevance with customers. On the marketing science side, it’s driving an equally exciting morphing of methodologies and the ways we use them. In short, we’re seeing a redefinition of the capabilities in the traditional analytics toolbox. (Marketing News, March 1, 2008)

Test and Learn: Prove Relevance [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

This article discusses the test-and-learn approach to marketing investment and how it helps build marketing credibility while providing a platform for continuous optimization of the overall marketing mix. (Marketing News, 12/15/2007)

Turning Green Into Gold [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

In this article, Andrew argues that the question for most companies is not if they will take action to make their brands environmentally friendly, but when and the extent to which they will do so. He then discusses what it takes to successfully make green work as a business and brand builder. (Marketing News, October 1, 2007)

The CMO Challenge: Exiting the Comfort Zone [PDF]
By Michael Dunn

In this article, Michael Dunn argues that in order to be effective, marketers need to up their game, take on the new media, and be prepared to be adventurous, extending their influence over many of the critical business growth drivers. (Argent, September 2007)

Don't Be Afraid to Plunge Into Emerging Media [PDF]
By Scott Davis

Color today’s marketers dazed and confused. It’s an understandable reaction to an environment that has become almost impossibly complex, making it difficult for them to figure out where to start (or much less how to go about) meeting management’s escalating demands for demonstrable returns. (AdAge, July 23, 2007)

Prophet's State of Marketing Study: "The Effectiveness Imperative" [PDF]
By Prophet

Marketers continue to face an uphill battle when it comes to creating an effective marketing organization that demonstrably drives the business. Increasingly, senior management looks to marketing to enable, if not drive, short- and long-term business growth. Yet marketers typically don’t see themselves at the wheel for this particular journey. This gap is one of the highlights of our 2006/2007 State of Marketing Survey.

The Seven Surmountable Hurdles to Marketing Effectiveness [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

One of the most pressing challenges marketers face today is finding the balance between the art and science of marketing to create strategies and programs that meet measurable business objectives. It’s called marketing effectiveness, and achieving it is doable – once some surmountable barriers are overcome. (MarketingProfs, April 17, 2007)

Only The Strongest CMOs Will Survive [PDF]
By Scott Davis

In this article, Scott discusses the challenges being faced by Senior Marketers and four key mandates they should address on the path toward becoming empowered CMOs. (Advertising Age, January 2007)

How to Get an Ethical Advantage [PDF]
By Prophet

In this article, we discuss three strategies to help companies integrate corporate social responsibility with brand-building efforts. (Brand Strategy, December 2006/January 2007)

Mastering the Marketing Mix [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

Leading companies are beginning to see what they’re getting for their marketing dollars. They are applying new approaches and quantitative techniques to make sense of previously inscrutable marketing choices.  It allows marketers to invest more effectively — and it makes them more accountable in terms of returns on investment. 

Evaluating Marketing Mix Tradeoffs: A Case Study of UnitedHealthcare [Webcast]
By Andrew Pierce

This webcast features Andy Pierce, Senior Partner, and Chris Gibson, CMO of UnitedHealthcare. The seminar discusses Prophet's work with UnitedHealthcare in assessing the effectiveness of their marketing communications efforts and identifying the link between spending on brand building, brand awareness, and member enrollment. (MarketingProfs, October 2006)

Power Switch [PDF]
By Michael Dunn

In many of today's leading organizations, marketing is front and center in driving solid business performance - based on a heightened understanding of and responsiveness to the customer.  Leading the charge are empowered chief marketing officers, who have developed a more expansive influence, range of responsibilities, and view of marketing's capabilities in the broader business scheme. (Marketing Management, September/October 2006)

CEOs, Expand Your Definition of "CMO" [PDF]
By Scott Davis

A recent survey of marketing executives found only 30% want to be a chief marketing officer. Small wonder, then, that CMO longevity is what it is: exceedingly short. How to make the CMO's job more attractive and, perhaps, stretch the tenure out? Read on. (Point, September 2006)

New Challenges to Marketing's Mandates [PDF]
By Scott Davis

In this article, Scott discusses the need for marketers to take a broader view of their role if they are to contribute successfully to business growth.  This includes thoughts around owning the customer experience, successfully using new technologies, and blending business, brand, and marketing strategies. (Admap, June 2006)

Don't Burn Your Brand Equity [PDF]
By Prophet

Brand equity is part of the purchase price of a company.  Prior to, or shortly after senior executives buy a company or merge two or more existing companies, they must decide which brands to keep and which ones to dissolve. Using examples from UBS and BP, this article highlights key questions on brand strategy and how to answer them successfully. *Please note this PDF is in German. (Finance, July 2006)

Align Management as Basis for Change [PDF]
By Scott Davis

It is important to create a brand-centric culture that's open to and encourages change, where management is aligned on everyone's role in fostering that environment, and where the basis for moving forward is a shared vision of and commitment to the best of what the brand stands for. (Point, May 2006)

The Role of Marketing and Brand in Driving Growth [PDF]
By Scott Davis

Citing results from our State of Marketing survey, this webcast given by Scott Davis looks at the definition of growth within organizations and highlights inconsistencies in the way it is defined by chief executive officers, chief marketing officers, and other executives. Learn techniques you can use to identify opportunities for brand-driven and marketing-driven growth, and find out how to align your organization by creating synergies between business, brand, and marketing strategies. Finally, we provide a summary of findings and best practices that can help your organization close the growth gap. (Microsoft Executive Circle, April 2006)

Interesting Bedfellows - Why a Teaming of HR and Marketing Makes Sense
By Jeff Smith

Companies are increasingly realizing that for brand and business strategies to be aligned, the brand can no longer be driven solely by the activities of the marketing department. Delivering against the promises of a brand strategy requires every level of the organization to live the brand. (AMAnet.org, April 2006)

Sidestep the Message as Medium Trap [PDF]
By Scott Davis

Technology has made it possible, through advanced research and information gathering techniques, to forge a deeper understanding of what matters most to customers. (Point, April 2006)

Marketers Challenged to Respond to the Changing Nature of Brand Building [PDF]
By Scott Davis

Better-informed consumers are changing the nature of the customer-brand relationship as well as the nature of branding building. As the importance of non-marketing touchpoints such as customer service and the actual in-store experience continues to increase, marketing is challenged to step beyond its traditional role to prove its value in generating business growth. (JAR, January 2006)

Marketers, Heal Thyselves: Rx to Help the CMO Lifespan [PDF]
By Scott Davis

Marketers aiming to better position themselves and the marketing function to add real value to the organization have their work cut out for them. A new year makes the timing right to recap three of the most critical prescriptions for change. (Point, December 2005)

How Marketing Can Support the Innovation Imperative [PDF]
By Mike Leiser

Innovation is a major hot button with businesses these days, given its critical role in driving organic business growth. As one survey of 940 senior managers found, all considered growing revenues through innovation as critical to success. Yet more than half were unhappy with their innovation investment returns. (Admap, November 2005)

CMO News Roundup Featuring David Aaker [Podcast]
By David Aaker

In this podcast hosted by CMO magazine, David A. Aaker, Vice Chairman of Prophet, Tom Simons, President of Partners & Simons, and Lulu Raghavan, Senior Brand Strategist at Landor Associates talk about marketing in tough economic times, the push for influence in print, and the selling of the U.S. Army. (CMO Magazine, October 13, 2005)

Mining Customer Data: Leveraging Customer Insights for Brand-Driven Growth [PDF]
By Andrew Pierce

In this second webcast of a three-part series ("Using Brands to Drive Growth") originally presented to members of the American Marketing Association, Andrew Pierce discusses the different forms (and benefits) of segmentation designed to answer different questions for marketers (Which consumers do I target? vs. Which consumers can I reach?). Segmentation methods are getting more sophisticated — it is vital that marketers use the right methods for the right reasons. To listen to the audio version, play the on-demand webcast.
(American Marketing Association, October 2005)

Chief Marketing Officer: Strategy Dynamo or Creative Dreamer? [PDF]
By Prophet

An organization's senior-most marketing executives can position themselves to better serve as the missing link in the executive team — between marketing's capabilities and corporate growth. (CEO, September 2005)

Innovation: Moving Marketing's Capabilities, Insights Front and Center [PDF]
By Scott Davis

There is a growing need for businesses, and particularly their marketing leadership, to look differently at what constitutes innovation, and create a culture that fosters and rewards it. (Point, September 2005)

The United Nations in Crisis: Negative Perceptions Call for Savvy Marketing to Rebuild its Brand [PDF]
By Prophet

The UN is in a brand crisis. The damage to its reputation is significant, but if the organization is committed to making some significant changes, it's not too late to change course and correct it's tainted image. (Brandchannel.com, August 2005)

Going Against Merging Goliaths Not So Gargantuan a Challenge [PDF]
By Scott Davis

With the recent increase in merger and acquisition activity, this article discusses how marketers in non-merging companies should use this time to reevaluate their strategies to gain competitive advantage. (Point, April 2005)

Marketing Investment Planning - B2B Catches Up [PDF]
By Prophet

From financial services to pharma to energy, B2B companies are embracing marketing. With intense competitive pressures, they have to identify sources of profitable growth, promise a better solution to customers, and ensure efficient and effective delivery on that promise. (Market Leader, Spring 2005)

A Marriage Overdue: Marketing Meets Technology [PDF]
By Scott Davis

No marketing imperative today can be met without without the capabilities and insights of the provided by the organization's technologists. Marketing and IT need to bridge operational gaps to create a less executional and more strategic partnership. (Point, March 2005)

How CMOs Can Earn a Seat at the Strategy Table [PDF]
By Scott Davis

With all the talk of the emerging role of the star CMO as a high-level strategic thinker, this article discusses what separates strategic CMOs from tactical CMOs, long-time CMOs to short-timers, and what gets the CMO a seat at the strategy table. (Point/Advertising Age, November 2004)

Achieving Marketing ROI in Our Lifetime [PDF]
By Prophet

A point of view on the importance of understanding what drives the financial aspects of a business in order to measure marketing ROI. (2005 Handbook of Business Strategy, October 2004)

Make Your Mark [PDF]
By Jeff Smith and Sandra Roesch

Given the ever increasing scrutiny of marketing spending, this article discusses various approaches for measuring effectiveness of sponsorships. (The Marketer, October 2004)

Struggling To Find a Voice [PDF]
By Prophet

A discussion of the key observations form a survey of Financial Services Forum members on value and its role in marketing strategy. (Argent, August 2004)

Three Strategies for Integrating CSR with Brand Marketing [PDF]
By Prophet

Increasingly, companies are putting a public face on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity. The authors describe three different approaches for incorporating CSR activities with marketing activities. (Market Leader, Summer 2004)

Brand Metrics: Gauging and Linking Brand with Business Performance [PDF]
By Prophet

A discussion of the essential components of a brand metrics program, how it can and should be linked to business performance, and how one technology company used brand metrics to help it adjust its brand and business strategy. (Brand Management, May 2004)

Beyond Advertising [PDF]
By Prophet

a perspective on reaching your customers in unique ways. (National Hotel Executive, January 2003)