KFC CMO: Right Now The World Needs More Great Marketers
23 Sep, 2022
Whilst the disruption of the last few years has meant marketers have developed the skills to respond to a changing world, now is the time to get back to basics, argues Jack Hinchliffe, CMO of KFC, in his latest column for MAD//Insight.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many things I could list that the world needs more than talented marketeers, but we really do need smart, switched on, well training marketing people right now too.
We have spent the first few years of this turd of a decade bouncing from crisis to crisis and in so doing building stronger muscles in managing ambiguity, adapting to change, flexibility, agility, all that stuff. These are invaluable skills that have allowed us to respond to a changing world and in turn build character and reliance. But, now is the time to re-calibrate and get back to basics.
It wasn’t necessary to post on Instagram the weekend before the Queen’s funeral to inform your followers that on the day of the Queen’s funeral you wouldn’t be posting on Instagram. No one expected that you would. What’s more, so long as you are acting appropriately and respectfully no one cares, in fact they might appreciate a little quiet.
We’re not here to sit watching the world and pontificate on what our brand’s point of view on it might be. The tin of soup or bottle of beach you steward does not have a point of view on whether or not the government lift the fracking ban.
The job of the marketing team is fundamental to the commercial performance of the business and every time we are distracted by that which will not deliver short term sales growth or contribute to long term brand value we are doing a disservice to our brand, our discipline and ourselves. It’s perfectly understandable that in the frenetic environment we’ve been plugged into recently our wiring might be a little bit off. So take a moment and breath. Unplug. Better?
Now strap yourself in because you’re needed.
Right now the world needs great marketeers who understand their customer and the competitive landscape, who understand where their price elasticity is, who understand the commercial mechanics of their own business and brand P&L, who understand the role their brand can and should play in culture, who understand what their strongest branding codes are and how to leverage them, who can write a good strategy and make tough decisions, be truly innovative, inspire creative people, get attention, be persuasive and effective.
Right now the world needs people who can lead their businesses through the next few years sustainably and profitably with a level head and steady hand, there is no-one better to do so than great marketers.
Jack will be writing a column for the MAD//Fest Insight regularly throughout the year.