Question

Topic: Branding

Marketing Role In Technical Collaterals

Posted by Anonymous on 3/4/2009 at 10:33 AM ET 125 Points
some background info: the company has been around for 20 odd years. marketing dept was created in the last 5 years. i joined the co last yr.

there are tons of technical sales flyers (created in house) for various products. the respective product technical team expect marketing dept to update the content as and when there are changes. this is creating alot of admin work for marketing dept. i think it is the technical dept role to keep the technical flyers up-to-date and marketing role is ensure the language style, colour and format are consistent. any comments if I am correct? i am relatively new in the organisation and this is also a new role for me.

i have been told by peers the last marketing person used to do all the admin including ordering the branded stationeries. i am truly shocked. there are closed to 300 employees in the organisation and there are only 2 marketing including myself leading the team. i want my dept to focus on the real marketing stuff. how can i do this? rebrand marketing dept/position in the organisation? any advice would be appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 3/4/2009 at 11:41 AM Member
    Been there, done that too.

    Phil is absolutely right. Tech's job is to provide updates. Marketing's job is to take that information and make sure that existing customers, new customers, and prospects know how your company solves their problems. It's not just language and style - it's generating leads, it's giving information, and it's sparking inquiries and orders for your products.
  • Posted by Dorothea on 3/4/2009 at 12:04 PM Member
    Been there, done that three. Ditto too on Phil's excellent response.

    Stick to your guns. You may be in for a fight trying to rebrand or change your company's thinking about what your department should do, but if you do it in a non-threatening way, showing clearly, either by presentation or simply having a meeting with the powers that be, the benefits of having the marketing department do what they are truly meant to do, it will be easier. Be prepared though. Have a solid plan to present to them so they know you've put thought into the value of this idea and you're not simply trying to get out of the other stuff, even though you probably are as well. :-)

    Good luck.
  • Posted on 3/4/2009 at 1:55 PM Accepted
    Your right the technical department should be supplying you the updates to the information and it is your job in marketing to update the technical sale sheets and accompanying literature.

    For two years I was the marketing communications specialist at a chemical manufacturer and my responsibility was to update the technical data sheets, get the appropriate MSDS sheets in-house updated and check existing brochures as well as packaging to ensure that the information was correct across all media. The management assumed that it was my responsibility to update all technical data but I am not an engineer or scientist, the company lab gave me the correct information and supporting literature.

    In my job description it was formally written that it was the marketing person's job to update all the information. In order to fix the problem, I first creating records and organized the files of each existing product that I was responsible for into individual groups (compounds, solids, etc..) and then I created a physical file in my office of all the updates and records of each individual product separated into various folders.

    After I did my due diligence, collected and organized all my documentation, I then had a meeting with technical and documented the procedure in which updates were communicated to marketing. I created a sign off sheet which technical initialed every time product updates were available which also had to contain supporting lab studies or documentation.

    After I had organized everything and put my procedure in place, I then met with management and presented my case to help them see that it was the responsibility of the technical department to supply me with regular, detailed information regarding product usage and handling.

    While you know your responsibility, you have to present your case to management regarding the updating of technical information. Do your due diligence, record and document the procedure and after you are sure that your case is solid then your presentation will help them make the needed adjustments so that technical updates will not be your job but will be the job of those who are responsible for it.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/4/2009 at 3:01 PM Member
    I agree in theory with the above posts, as well as your perspective that you can do much more than update product data sheets.

    However, please keep in mind that we are in a recession. Somebody at your company hired you for a reason. Maybe the reason they hired you, from their possibly underinformed point of view, was to have you update the product data sheets.

    Before you go into a meeting and declined to do the work for which you are possibly hired, keep in mind that there is a recession on, and that there are 100 people who would gladly take your job and produce product data sheets.

    Certainly marketing textbooks will tell you that marketing should have an expanded role in your organization. Certainly marketing professionals on this forum would encourage you to have an expanded role in your organization.

    And you should.

    But please be careful. Please try to get a sense of who the key decision-makers are, and please try to understand what they expect of you.

    If it were me, I would try to find a way to do both things.
  • Posted on 3/6/2009 at 10:26 AM Author
    Phil, I appreciate your confirmation of my thoughts. This marketing job in financial services is a career change for me. Part of me lack the courage/confidence to stand up to the bunch of "senior" colleagues, i.e. people who have been in the co all their life. But you are right! I shouldn't accept the broom and shrovel. Time to make a stand!
    Thanks,
    Lynn
  • Posted on 3/6/2009 at 10:44 AM Author
    Eric, thanks for sharing your experience with me and the "how to" organise it. It was something I tried to do before but had great difficulties. Too many files too many folders. Tried to get cooperation from the respective product team but it took weeks to get a response :-( In the end, I put this on hold and fire fight each time we need to update a product flyer. You have given me some helpful tips and inspired me to take a fresh approach to the whole situation.
    Thanks,
    Lynn
  • Posted on 3/6/2009 at 10:50 AM Author
    Dorothea, you are spot-on about doing it in a non-threatening way. I need to take a balanced approach.
    Thanks,
    Lynn
  • Posted on 3/6/2009 at 11:01 AM Author
    Telemoxie, your take on the situation is refreshing. Those are good advice. I will definitely keep them in mind and take a balanced approach on the matter.
    Thanks!
    Lynn
  • Posted on 3/6/2009 at 11:04 AM Author
    jkaplan, thanks!

    lynn
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