The Hilarious Misadventures of Marketing Strategy Implementation

Alright, folks, implementing a marketing strategy is an exciting proposition but not everything goes as planned.

Sometimes a perfectly laid plan can take you through the most chaotic rides of your life. Let’s talk about the absolute circus that is trying to implement a marketing strategy in a corporate setting. It’s like trying to herd cats, but the cats are your coworkers, and they’re all wearing suits. So, grab your popcorn, because this is going to be a wild ride through the top barriers that turn our marketing dreams into a comedy of errors.

1. Weak Support from the Top Brass

First up, we’ve got the big shots at the top. You know, the ones who think “marketing” is just a fancy word for “spending money.” Without their support, your marketing plan is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. These guys are so indifferent, you’d think you were asking them to donate a kidney instead of just backing your plan. Their lack of interest will sink your strategy faster than the Titanic.

2. The Plan for Planning

Next, we’ve got the plan for planning. Yeah, you heard me right. It’s like needing a GPS to find your GPS. Some folks think you can just slap a system together and boom, instant success. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work that way. One company spent a year with a fancy new system and saw zero improvement. It’s like buying a gym membership and expecting to get ripped by just driving past the place. You need a proper timetable, people! Explain why the system is necessary, get the big wigs on board, and train everyone. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels.

3. Lack of Line Management Support

Getting line managers to support your plan is like trying to get a cat to take a bath. They’re hostile, they’re confused, and they’re definitely not on board. They’ll tell you the system is too complicated, too time-consuming, or that they don’t have the skills. It’s like asking them to solve a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded. The truth is, they’re scared of change. And who can blame them? Change means more work, and nobody wants that.

4. Confusion Over Planning Terms

Marketing jargon is its own special kind of torture. When the folks who designed the system start throwing around terms like “synergistic paradigms” and “holistic frameworks,” the rest of us are left wondering if we accidentally walked into a philosophy class. If you want your plan to succeed, you need to speak plain English. Otherwise, you might as well be explaining quantum physics to a toddler.

5. Numbers in Lieu of Written Objectives

Numbers are great, but without written objectives, they’re just a bunch of digits. It’s like trying to bake a cake with only the ingredient list and no recipe. You’ll end up with a mess and a lot of explaining to do. Clear, written objectives ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Otherwise, you’re just setting yourself up for a bake-off disaster.

6. Too Much Detail, Too Far Ahead

Over-detailed, long-range forecasts are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They’re likely to be inaccurate and will only serve to bog down your strategy in bureaucracy. Keep it simple and focused on the near term. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself lost in a sea of irrelevant data, wondering where it all went wrong.

7. The Once-a-Year Ritual

For some companies, marketing planning is an annual ritual, like filing taxes or pretending to enjoy the office holiday party. The forms are filled out perfunctorily, the plans are filed away, and everyone goes back to business as usual. This approach is about as effective as a New Year’s resolution to “exercise more.” If you want your marketing plan to succeed, it needs to be a living, breathing document, not a once-a-year chore.

8. Separation of Operational and Strategic Planning

If your operational planning is on one track and your strategic planning is on another, you’re headed for a train wreck. All major functions – distribution, production, finance, and personnel – need to be aligned. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a beautifully crafted strategy that no one can execute. It’s like having a recipe for the perfect cake but no oven to bake it in.

9. Failure to Integrate Marketing into Corporate Planning

Marketing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It needs to be integrated into the total corporate planning system. Without this integration, your marketing plan is like a soloist in a symphony – out of place and out of tune. Key functions like production and engineering need to be on board, or your strategy will fall flat.

10. Delegation of Planning to a Planner

When planning is delegated to a planner rather than line management, it’s like asking the janitor to write the company’s annual report. The planner can design the system and coordinate inputs, but they can’t do it all. Line management needs to be involved, or the plan will lack the necessary buy-in and support. It’s a delicate political dance, and one misstep can send the whole thing tumbling down.