A candid perspective by Bill Lee for Harvard Business Review Traditional marketing — including advertising, public relations, branding and corporate communications — is dead. Many people in traditional marketing roles and organizations may not realize they’re operating within a dead paradigm. But they are. The evidence is clear. First, buyers are no longer paying much attention. Several studies have confirmed that in the “buyer’s decision journey,” traditional marketing communications just aren’t relevant. Buyers are checking out product and service information in their own way, often through the Internet, and often from sources outside the firm such as word-of-mouth or customer...

Brief extracts from a recent talk by John Gleason from ‘A Better View Strategic Consulting’ (formerly 20 years at P&G) Client challenges: Speed (to market) Scale (desire/need to grow…’being bigger is better’ thinking) Complexity Innovation (rarely delivered, more an aspiration) Value (demonstrating/seeing this clearly for their company, and cost containment) Agency pointers: Engage your whole team. Try to reveal/show/explain clearly how clients will experience your process. Client lists (whether written or often presenting the client’s logo)….what does this tell a prospective client about your role/achievement/s for those companies – ROI?). Client logos can look impressive but they tell nothing. Don’t...