Our thinking appears in marketing articles and publications around the world

We hear it all the time among clients, within companies and at meetings. Everyone understands that if you stand still in today’s rapidly changing environment, then you’ll be choking on the other guy’s dust as you fade into irrelevance. The ability to get ahead, much less to transform, is today’s business imperative. But it takes change agents to lead the charge.

All too often, though, stuff gets in the way. The barriers of silos. Resistance to change. A shortage of the right skills for the challenges. The fact is that transforming a business is really hard work.

Marketing is increasingly under pressure to make the most of its brands, its investments, and its organization. Although this pressure is particularly intense in tough economic times, the topic is increasingly relevant even in good times.

Philip Otley explains in his article why pricing may be the sharpest double-edged sword that senior management can wield in their bid to create value for the enterprise.

Roger Sinclair stresses how measurement of brand performance is becoming a long-term necessity. Marketers use a multitude of measurements to gauge the effectiveness of their activities and the progress they are making toward their goals.

The medium or the message? Too often these days, the message is ignored in favor of the medium. Niren shows that the right messaging will differentiate your brand, drive stronger consideration and purchase behavior, and can be significantly more rewarding than figuring out what the most effective media are.

One of the most powerful tools to help accelerate business growth is an annual inventory of all the spending that’s undertaken throughout the enterprise to increase revenue.

In this longer version of Fred and Chiaki's previous article, we discuss how sponsorships --which command a significant proportion of big businesses' marketing mix -- can effectively be managed.

Most successful marketers agree that achieving outstanding results requires tailoring marketing programs to the ways consumers make purchase decisions and adopt new products in their category. It is remarkable, however, how few put this principle into practice.

This executive summary outlines the main concepts from Michael Dunn's book, The Marketing Accountability Imperative.

Even in a recessionary economy, sponsorships -- and particularly those involving sports -- command a significant proportion of big businesses' marketing mix. But, most marketers are stymied at effectively managing these investments.

If marketers are looking for an easy time in this new decade, they must think again. There are three core trends that are irresistibly affecting the way marketers conduct their business; and they are each substantial.

Accountable marketing performance is an achievable goal. By focusing on, and unlocking the power of the six critical value levers, the marketing organization will prove out its value to the business as a whole as the creative yet rational source of future growth. *Please note, this article is in Spanish.

Michael Dunn discusses his personal and professional relationship with brands and rectifies the prejudice that CFOs care for money while CMOs only waste the money. *Please note, this article is in German.

In this interview published in M&K, the leading Swiss marketing communications journal, Roland Bernhard addresses some of the most challenging topics marketers face today. Roland talks about customer experience, innovation and marketing accountability and explains how commanding these topics help marketers gain a competitive advantage, even in difficult times. *Please note, this article is in German.

Recent advertising spending data has lessons that should make large and small advertisers distinctly uncomfortable, and beg the question: Do they understand their spending well enough to ensure they've shifted to the best vehicles for their business?

Successful companies get it: they report to the customer. But how do you effect a shift away from an out-dated operational focus to one that truly puts the customer front and center? Scott Davis explains that it doesn’t require a re-organization so much as a mind-set shift (plus visionary leadership).

Scott Davis blogs about concepts from his latest book, The Shift, and discusses the shifts marketers must undergo to become Visionary Marketers.

The pressure on marketers increases in a downturn. Michael Dunn provides insights on what needs to be done to drive superior marketing investments. Doing analytical homework before starting a marketing campaign, talking the same internal language, and understanding relevant customer segments, are a few. It sounds like basic marketing, but is still a struggle for many marketers. *Please note this article is in German.

Michael Dunn recently spoke to Consulting about The Marketing Accountability Imperative. This interview reviews the book's tools, metrics, and anecdotes designed to help marketers navigate through this new landscape by proving ROI and communicating their mission and results more effectively with the executives in the corner offices. 

Michael Dunn blogs about concepts from his latest book, "The Marketing Accountability Imperative," and discusses five tough questions in guiding how best to reduce and reallocate budgets.