Corporate
Issues
The nature of business
is changing rapidly. Competition is intense. Margins for error
are wafer thin and lead times are becoming progressively shorter.
Each business, each product or service and each marketplace
is unique and different. However, there is a commonality in
the issues that must be addressed by management and staff.
In recent times Marketing
Focus has been retained to assist client entities to develop
original and creative solutions and to integrate those into
strategies and tactics. Among the key issues which have been
addressed are:-
Consumer Resistance
Increased resistance,
cynicism and procrastination among existing and prospective
clients. Previously successful advertising, marketing, promotional,
merchandising and selling campaigns are not achieving the same
responses and results.
Price Discounting
Encroachment by competitive
and substitute products and services with price and advertising
volume advantages.
Short Term Focus
A tendency for corporate
executives to regularly refine and amend strategic plans, with
an emphasis on operational issues. Those actions increase costs
and there is little evidence of short or long term improvements
in cash flows or profits.
Corporate Culture
Change
The dynamics of the
external marketplace have dictated the need for the articulation
and implementation of a new, cohesive corporate culture which
promotes the concept of a seamless organisation structure in
which all people contribute to a common set of goals.
Restructuring Implications
A trend to downsizing,
outsourcing and re-engineering has demanded more flexible, responsive
leadership styles from all management levels.
Service Must Sell
Concern by managers
that the investment of time, people, money and resources into
staff training on quality customer service is not impacting
on business growth and development. Reticence by staff members
to sell and to exchange information is impeding sales potential
and performance.
Co-Branding
A lack of recognition
and respect of the importance of company and product branding/co-branding
throughout the retail and distribution networks.
Relationship Marketing
Inadequate comprehension
of the concept of "relationship marketing" between
manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
Lack of Loyalty
A noticeable lack
of loyalty among existing clients, notwithstanding the offer
of loyalty incentive programmes.
Profit Squeeze
Marginal increases
in turnover are not sufficient to offset significant increases
in operational costs.
Distribution Networks
A profusion of indistinguishable
products and services which are available from multiple outlets.
Category Killers
The actual or pending
threat posed by the emergency of aggressive category killers".

Doubtless, some or all of those issues will sound familiar.
Marketing Focus has the expertise and
experience to collaborate with management teams to address and
to redress these issues.
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