Adapting and creating: Why hybrid marketing and integration matter in launching campaigns
Matt: You've built and grown several teams. What has worked for you? What's the right mix? And what common mistakes do companies make when building their teams?
Cedric: When it comes to marketing teams, I've led teams from 2 to 50 people, using different models like in-house, fully outsourced, and hybrid. What works best today?
In my experience, especially in financial services, a hybrid team is most effective. This means having in-house experts but mainly relying on outsourced agencies for execution. This approach works well because you have expertise in-house but can scale up or down based on the time of year or business needs.
Controlling every aspect of the business is important, but working with partners who can scale operations as needed is very beneficial. Marketing changes quickly, and an advantage of outsourcing is staying updated with new and innovative strategies, which might be missed if you're caught up in daily routines.
Controlling every aspect of the business is important, but working with partners who can scale operations as needed is very beneficial. Marketing changes quickly, and an advantage of outsourcing is staying updated with new and innovative strategies, which might be missed if you're caught up in daily routines.
Agencies play a crucial role by providing an external perspective and challenging your views, which creates a good balance. From my experience, having worked on the agency side, I see some common mistakes organisations make.
Companies can improve by carefully choosing their partners. Often, businesses focus too much on reducing costs and making costs the main factor in decisions. This approach can harm relationships and reduce the value you get.
Everyone aims to do the best for themselves and their organisations. I've noticed that many companies prioritise cost savings over building valuable partnerships. Focusing on value and strong partnerships can make a big difference.
Matt: As you mentioned, new ideas and creativity are invaluable. You don't know what you don't know. I believe many teams aren't open enough to external contractors, agencies, or support. They want to do everything in-house, but balancing internal and external resources is crucial.
Speaking of marketing technology, what would you suggest for setting up an effective marketing technology stack from scratch? It can be a significant investment with implementation challenges. If someone is looking to implement a Martech stack, where should they start? What advice would you give?
Cedric: Great question. Even today, with all the experience marketing organisations and leaders have, this question comes up a lot. Even those who have set up stacks before might not have learned everything yet.
From my experience, there are two main things to consider first. The first is your objective. What are you trying to achieve with your marketing stack? This is crucial because it affects not only the choice of the stack but also the order in which you set it up. You rarely set up a stack all at once.
Knowing what you want to achieve, what the organisation wants, and what your stakeholders want is very important. Combining these goals helps you understand what to aim for.
The second thing which I would say is what we would always start with, part of the technology stack, even if it doesn't count as really high-tech technology today, is measurement. I would put measurement as a core component of the stack right up front because if you can't measure, everything else falls off the rails.
In the organisations I've worked in, I've always started with analytics, whether web or custom analytics. This is the basis for deciding on using tools like DMPS, CDP, and other marketing technologies.
For me, measurement is the foundation of our technology stack. Here are two tips: First, always measure what you do. Second, don't make decisions alone. Talk to people.
For me, measurement is the foundation of our technology stack. Here are two tips: First, always measure what you do. Second, don't make decisions alone. Talk to people.
In my last organisation, when choosing tech, we spoke to independent consultants. Many people are willing to help and share their experiences and advice. This input was invaluable and helped us make informed decisions, even about expensive tech investments.
I won't say which tech stack is the best because it depends on your specific situation, organisation, budget, goals, and business stage. But these are the key steps I would take when starting.
I used to keep measurements for later, and it was a steep learning curve to fix those mistakes. Now, I always advise people to focus on measurement first. It may not seem obvious, but it makes your job much easier later. People will want to know how things are doing and delivering value. If measurement is not in place, it makes a huge difference.
The art of campaign strategy: a blueprint for integrated branding, tactical response, and product launches
Matt: When talking about campaigns and implementing them, I'd love to know your secrets for effective campaign launches. How would you plan an integrated branding campaign or a product launch? What key things in your experience work particularly well?
Cedric: There are three main types: integrated branding campaigns, tactical response campaigns, and product launches. Each one is different.
While they have similarities, each type needs special attention. I'll start with integrated branding campaigns. These are big projects that need months of planning, not just weeks. For these campaigns, you need good planning, execution, creative strategy, media strategy, and measurement.
Here are a few tips I’ve learned for large integrated or branding campaigns. First, you need everyone to agree on the campaign plan. Usually, many serious stakeholders are involved in a branding campaign because it affects the entire organisation.
Getting buy-in and accepting criticism during the planning stage is critical. Once people are on board, everyone works together to make the plan successful. If stakeholders are informed late, they may suggest changes that need to be incorporated. So, getting buy-in from day one and keeping stakeholders informed is very important.
In integrated or branding campaigns, we often focus on the customer, which is great. But we shouldn't forget the organisation. Internal communication and getting employees excited are crucial because your first customers are your employees. This is very important.
In integrated or branding campaigns, we often focus on the customer, which is great. But we shouldn't forget the organisation. Internal communication and getting employees excited are crucial because your first customers are your employees. This is very important.
The last point, and this may sound harsh, is don't compromise. Even in a large campaign, you might face issues like media not going out on time or problems with key influencers. There will be many excuses, but ensure every part of the campaign is working and don't compromise.
The success of the campaign depends on all parts working together. If one part doesn't go out on time, it affects the whole campaign. As a good marketer, you should not compromise. Make sure everything is working properly and integrated.
To recap, get buy-in, build internal support, and don't compromise on quality. For something as big as this, you are responsible for delivering success. This is crucial for internal integrated campaigns.
A call for ongoing learning in the age of AI
Matt: Getting that support helps in many ways. It makes people understand the reasons behind the campaign. Why are we doing this? Why are we doing it this way? That education part is really important. Awesome. Cedric, do you have any advice for marketers?
Cedric: I have advice for senior market leaders and beginners: marketing is changing very fast. Recently, Seachain has been leading discussions about AI and productivity tools. There are many self-organising productivity tools available now. Learning has reached a new level.
It's important to think about how you are developing yourself and your team. Improve your team's skills and your organisation's abilities. Senior marketers need to lead this while achieving organisational goals. Developing people skills is crucial at all levels.
My final point is to invest time and effort in developing yourself and your organisation. Marketing is changing quickly, and you need to adapt to stay effective.
