Strategic Execution in Marketing (Part 2):
4 Ways to Know When You're Doing It Wrong (And How to Fix It)
Strategic execution has long been discussed in the world of business strategy. In the marketing world, the same concept applies. In this series of two articles, we first explored the deep connection between strategy and execution in marketing. Now, we will look at some common problems with marketing projects and illuminate how these problems arise because of a failure to appreciate the idea of strategic execution. By correctly understanding the nature of strategic execution, marketing work can be easier and more effective.
Failure to appreciate the nature of strategic execution is at the root of common problems on marketing and design projects. Specifically, when this circularity is ignored, a project is susceptible to four major kinds of failure.
#1 - Blind Execution
All too often, a client’s project comes up at the execution stage. We’ve all seen it. They have usually dragged their feet for a while, or something has come up unexpectedly. Whatever the cause, there is a feeling that now they have to create something immediately: a Web site, a brochure, a newsletter, etc. What’s more, they usually say that there is no time to do any strategy. We must execute, execute, execute! Yesterday!
The danger here is twofold. On the one hand, heading down this path can produce the wrong execution. By “wrong”, I mean an execution that is not strategic. Everyone on the team can tell when this is happening. You get questions or comments like “Why are we going in this direction?” or “This doesn’t make any sense”.
On the other hand, and even worse, the execution could be continually, pointlessly revised. This happens because without the strategy, no one knows when the execution is right. This will continue, wearing down the team, until the deadline. At the deadline, the product will be released, much to the relief and disappointment of the team and the client.
Solution: Stop working and back up, even for a day. Do some strategic thinking. This brief retreat will not add time to the project. In fact, it will save time—time that would be spent in endless revisions.
#2 - Secret Execution
How many times have you proceeded from strategy to execution only to find that the strategists already had some (perhaps secret, perhaps unspoken) concept of what the execution would be? They couldn’t help it! When they created the strategy, they implicitly started the execution. Any good strategist is already thinking of the execution.
All too often, the strategist is taught to repress these ideas. But, they inevitably get out. And when the client interacts with the strategists, the client starts to get ideas, too. These early ideas of how the execution should come out are a “secret execution”.
The risk here is that there is a high chance that the execution team will produce something that is unlike the secret execution. This will not, of course, meet the expectations of the strategists and of the client. This secret execution will stand in the way of the work until it is addressed.
Solution: Turn this into an advantage. With a good strategy, someone is already thinking of the execution. This is a head start on the work. So, start with that. Once it’s addressed, the strategists and the client will feel good about the execution, even if you go on to change it.
#3 - Compartmentalized Methodologies
There are no methodologies that are just strategic or just execution-oriented. This means that strictly divided project teams or project stages are less effective. How much money has been wasted on a “stand-alone” strategy or a hastily-planned execution? When not conceived as a whole, both strategy and execution can be wasted.
Solution: Whether you do strategy or execution, be sure to think about the other. It is a good idea to include it in your processes, even if you don’t call it that. If time or budget seems to prevent doing one phase or the other, take time or budget out to do at least a little of the other phase. It will pay off in the long run. To be even more effective, iterate the work: create two successive phases of strategic execution rather than one strategy phase and one execution phase.
#4 - Empty Strategy
There must be thousands of plans and strategies that never make it to execution. Often, for consulting companies, they are dreams expressed in PowerPoint. Unfortunately, when the work doesn’t progress to execution, even the best strategy becomes worthless.
This happens because, without the content of execution, it’s not possible to judge whether the strategy is really any good. This is why purely strategic work is so hard to judge and why most people are reluctant to comment on it. They don’t know if it’s any good until it’s tried.
Solution: Try a proof of concept. This mainly-technological tool is a great way to see if a strategy is going to go anywhere. Even a simple, fast execution will quickly give you an idea if the strategy is any good.
Conclusion
Strategy needs execution, just as execution needs strategy. Keep that in mind when you’re doing your own projects and when you’re hiring out. You will save a lot of time and hassle when you ground your projects in the reality of this relationship.