The marketing operating model blueprint

When designing a marketing operating model, the first thing on your list should be governance and ownership. This means making deliberate, transparent choices about who does what and how decisions are made.

Effective governance means that every marketing decision is aligned with your defined goals and priorities, ultimately delivering on your corporate strategy. Put simply, governance is about ensuring that everyone knows their role and how their decisions impact the bigger picture.

Consider this scenario: top management delegates the responsibility for reviewing the marketing strategy to match a new strategic direction. This includes media reviews, creative and communication assessments and tactical campaigns and initiatives. This is a cross-functional task by design. But who holds the responsibility? Who is accountable? Who needs to be consulted, and who should be kept informed?

Clearly defined mandates and approval chains for any changes or decisions ensure that the right people with the right expertise and seniority are involved at the right stages.

Bottom line: clarity of roles and decision-making processes is essential for driving strategic success.

The second dimension addresses the crucial task of organising and leading the people involved in marketing decisions. This pillar is all about assembling the right mix of talent for the right decisions. Depending on your specific organisation and industry, this may involve close collaboration between the brand team, the media team, the product team and the finance team.

The level of integration will vary, as will the types of meetings and participants.

To set up the organisation and leadership in the right way, consider:

• Organisational structure: your key marketing activities, such as brand and media, may already be closely integrated in a dedicated set-up with a clear structure and mandates. But what about interactions with finance on pricing or customer insights? Who is responsible for collaboration, and what is the meeting cadence?
• Size and teams: even if you have a defined team structure, consider whether the size and competencies of these teams reflect the future needs of your organisation. Are there duplicative resources? Are there skills gaps? This also connects to the fourth element: skills and competencies.
• Change management: when implementing a new operating model, change management becomes crucial. Articulate why the change is happening, address any concerns and provide the necessary support and resources to ensure a smooth transition.

By carefully examining the organisation and leadership – from marketing teams to cross-functional collaboration and change management – you ensure a holistic, repeatable approach that is aligned with your overall corporate strategy.

Alright, let us break down processes – the third dimension of our marketing operating model.

With governance and structure in place, the next challenge is to figure out how the marketing team actually gets work done. While some tasks will always be unpredictable, most CMOs deal with recurring activities every year. This predictability allows us to streamline processes.

The key is to approach the marketing playbook with a dual perspective: the big-picture, annual view and the tactical, sometimes unpredictable plays.

Processes are the backbone of your marketing operation. They are the structured workflows that keep things running efficiently and aligned with your overall strategy. The focus here is on mapping and refining these workflows to maximise efficiency and drive results.

Key activities include:

• Workflow mapping: start by laying out your current processes. Document and analyse everything. This will help you spot inefficiencies and areas for improvement. The goal? Identify bottlenecks, cut out redundancies and streamline workflows to boost productivity across the board.
• Process redesign: once you have mapped it all, it is time to optimise. Redesign your processes to align them with your company’s goals. This means eliminating unnecessary steps, clarifying decision points and improving coordination in your team. The end result? A more efficient and effective marketing operation that is laser-focused on achieving your objectives.

The fourth dimension zeroes in on skills and competencies. The game has changed – being good at media, creativity and strategy just does not cut it anymore. Today, you need a team that understands the nuts and bolts of media buying, masters the digital customer journey and leverages AI to push the creative and media boundaries.

When assessing the skills and competencies required for a future-proof marketing operating model, you should focus on these key tasks:

• Capability gap assessment: assessing where your teams’ and agencies’ capabilities do not measure up to the demands of your strategy. It is about finding those gaps and deciding what you need to do to bridge them and drive success.
• Insourcing/outsourcing assessment: this is all about deciding the best balance between what your team handles internally and what you delegate to external agencies. It is a strategic move to optimise costs, capabilities and focus.
• Decentralisation vs centralisation assessment: evaluates whether to empower local teams with capabilities and skills or keep them concentrated at the HQ level. It is about analysing which approach will boost the efficiency and effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

The fifth dimension zeroes in on tools and technology. In marketing, the array of tools at your disposal is almost infinite, making it impractical to list them all. However, bringing the right technologies into your marketing organisation can revolutionise workflows and turbocharge employee productivity. Whether you are creating groundbreaking content or adapting it for multiple markets, the potential for transformation is immense.

A major disruptor here is AI, which is revolutionising the marketing landscape with its ability to analyse vast data sets, personalise customer experiences and automate repetitive tasks. By leveraging AI, marketing teams can gain invaluable insights, increase efficiency and drive more impactful campaigns. As technology continues to evolve, integrating AI into your marketing operations is not just a smart move – it is essential for staying competitive and achieving long-term success.

When assessing technology, we typically focus on:

• Technology audit: conducting a thorough assessment of your current MarTech stack to identify gaps and areas for improvement. By scrutinising the effectiveness of existing tools, your marketing team can pinpoint what needs to be enhanced to better support your objectives.
• Tool selection: choosing the right tools and platforms that align with your marketing strategy and operational needs. This involves evaluating factors such as functionality, integration capabilities, scalability and alignment with your strategic goals.
• Implementation: ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing operations while effectively integrating new tools into your marketing ecosystem. This involves training team members, establishing new processes and closely monitoring the impact of these technological changes on your marketing performance.

In essence, the right mix of technology is not just about having the latest gadgets; it is about creating a seamless, data-driven ecosystem that enhances every touchpoint in the customer journey. Because great marketing is not about technology; it is about using technology to deliver value, build relationships and drive growth.

Performance management is the fuel that powers your marketing engine. It is all about improvement and accountability. Knowing what to measure, defining success and understanding how to improve your efforts – whether in media buying, content creation or messaging – is crucial.

The key activities related to this are:

• Goal setting: clear, measurable objectives are non-negotiable. They align your marketing efforts with your organisation’s strategic goals. By setting specific targets and milestones, your marketing team can zero in on activities that move the needle.
• KPI development: identifying key performance indicators is crucial. These KPIs should be aligned with your organisational objectives and provide actionable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing strategies and campaigns.
• Dashboard development: visualisations and dashboards are your best friends for communicating progress across the organisation. They ensure transparency and alignment by enabling stakeholders to quickly grasp the impact of marketing activities.
• Performance reviews: regular performance reviews and feedback sessions are essential. Constructive feedback and recognition help your marketing team continuously improve and stay aligned with organisational goals.

In short, performance management is not just a checkbox – it is about creating a culture of continuous improvement and accountability that drives real business results.