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.