By: Guy Stephens / VP, Planning & Research

At &Barr, our mission is to add value to our client’s business and their brand.

This has become an oft-repeated mantra at our agency, because this is the reason clients hire us. Agencies are valued for their creative ideas, but the ideas need to build up brands and generate short- and long-term ROI or, quite frankly, they are bad ideas. 

When agencies are brought on board, it is normally to help CMO’s work on long-term strategies and big ideas. However, the CMO’s boss (CEO/CFO) are usually looking for shorter-term wins – website traffic NOW, leads NOW – you know the drill. We call this the “pebble in their shoe.” Without getting rid of the pebble, you’re not going to be able to run a marathon or travel a great distance.

It’s critical that the C-suite’s business pain-points are addressed quickly. Our experience has shown that if you drive the KPI’s that the CEO/CFO desires to show their stakeholders, the CMO and agency will have then earned the clout to do more strategy and longer-term brand strategy and ideation – in other words, the fun stuff! So, fix the pebble first (tactics), then run the marathon (longer-term strategy).

A smart woman named Robbie Kellman Baxter echoes this sentiment. A graduate of Harvard and Stanford, and a consultant and keynote speaker, she’s actually talked to CEOs about what they want from a new CMO. Below is a key excerpt:

“Usually, when a new CMO comes in, they want to start by building a strategy, rethinking branding, or investing in marketing automation, content management tools, and other technology. But they neglect tactical execution. So, if you can demonstrate that your marketing campaigns are resulting in increased sales and profitability, you will get a lot more freedom to invest more long-term, big-payoff activities. To build credibility and get some resources for investment, it’s good to start by giving the CEO what they’ve been craving, measurable results in their area of needs. 
(Full article, here.)”

So CMOs, we’re here to help you. Our full-service suite of services and teams can address immediate needs to show measurable results, as well as help you build long-term value and sales through creative branding and ideas. When can we start?