The Marketer's Handbook: Reassessing Marketing Techniques for Modern Business

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Application: Practical Delivery

The Concept

As with any business activity, marketing has to be managed. The function contains a range of activities and components which need to be coordinated in order for it to work effectively. These need to be “managed” by people who know what they are doing. When working inside a business (often called “client side” by the marketing supply industry), it is not good enough just to be a great marketer with creative insight; it is essential, though, to have great management skills. The function, however large, must be stocked with really great marketing managers.

The components of marketing management include:

(i) Managing People

Marketing managers will normally have a number of people working for them to get activities done. These people will have different motivations and capabilities. A good manager needs to work out their own way of getting the best performance from their own people. Modern managers will normally have to set objectives, delegate, review performance, and complete appraisals. There are different theories and concepts on what it takes to manage people well (from “theory X & Y” to “situational leadership”) but the very best managers seem to develop their own style of getting the best from their direct reports. One of their prime tasks is to prioritize marketing objectives for their people and, frequently, for ...