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The Relationship Alliance |
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… putting strategy & relationships before marketing disciplines |
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Bringing it together In the Marketing Mix ... It’s all well and good having a sound theoretical approach, based on exciting intellectual property—what is really needed is the practical application of that approach in real world marketing. Generating results and acceptable return on investment for our clients. To effectively do this The Relationship Alliance has developed an approach to planning and implementation which ensures … … each step of the journey is logically addressed … the appropriate intellectual property and strategic thinking is applied at the right time … learnings are generated which will benefit future planning … and everything is tested against the original business case. By taking this planned and structured approach to applying the theory we are able to ensure we do think of relationships and strategy before we start planning the brand advertising or direct marketing. We do build a business case based on the required changes before we start briefing the creative and identifying messaging. Below you can see a diagrammatic representation of the process The Relationship Alliance team uses as the basis for implementing our plans into a practical and profitable integrated marketing mix. Like all “methodologies” it is there to act as a check list, a means of ensuring all aspects are addressed in the right way, in the right order—that we do not allow individual marketing disciplines to overtake strategy and relationships. |
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Which elements of the integrated marketing mix does The Relationship Alliance team apply its skills to? The short answer is almost all of them! This is not a lesson in what each of the disciplines is about, it’s our view of how they form part of the integrated relationship marketing mix—driving stakeholders towards your desired outcomes. Building the brand The brand is an invitation to a stakeholder to enter a relationship with an organisation, it creates expectations the organisation must be capable of delivering on. Direct Marketing A means of communication—all too often pushed as the most cost effective way of reaching individual stakeholders, but will it create the required image and the desired changes and outcomes? Product Advertising Essential to inform the wider market place of the products, features and benefits. Print and broadcast media have clearly showed themselves as effective catalysts to change behaviour. Loyalty Marketing From simple collection of stamps on cards to sophisticated IT driven loyalty programmes, it has a specific role to play in creating and strengthening stakeholder relationships—but don’t think it is the strategy, it’s really just the vehicle! Media & Public Relations A powerful tool to create the right perception, obtain impartial comment. But don’t let it stop with getting information in the media, think about how you can use the reprints proactively in your integrated marketing mix. Research Knowing marketing—based on knowing what’s important, how people are likely to respond, what the drivers of change are—is going to be much more effective than guessing marketing. Sales Promotions Motivation for trial, retrial and habit! Tactically used to strengthen other messages, sales promotional activities are an important motivator to change stakeholder behaviour. Employee Marketing All too often forgotten. Employees live your brand, breathe the products and services more than any other stakeholder. There is clear evidence to show motivated employees build stronger and more profitable stakeholder relationships. Channel Marketing (distribution) Often an organisation does not have a direct relationship with their ultimate customers—those are held by distributors or retailers. So it is essential the organisation builds strong and mutually beneficial relationships with its distribution partners to ensure their standards and values reach the ultimate customer. Measurement and Analysis Did it work? What did it achieve? If you can’t measure, should you do it? Pre programme business case (are your expectations realistic?) and post campaign analysis (what did it achieve, what was the ROI) are essential tools for the marketer in today’s business mix. The Relationship Alliance team has long been passionate about measurement and analysis—going right back to Richard’s direct marketing background! … and many others. If the means of communication impacts stakeholder relationships then our thinking and expertise is relevant to the marketing discipline. The challenge is to ensure: The right channel of communication Is used to deliver the right message Simple! Provided it is supported by the right approach, techniques and marketing mix. Hence we work across almost every marketing discipline, putting relationship and strategy first, to ensure the required changes in stakeholder behaviour create stronger relationships that result in the desired outcomes and acceptable return on investment. |
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The Relationship Alliance |