Viper Marketing & Communications Group

Acting Before Life Passes You By

Author: Neil Wilkins

Neil learnt his marketing with the likes of Orange, NatWest, BP Castrol and Ordnance Survey and now helps individuals and businesses to communicate more effectively. He trains and mentors marketers on professional Chartered Institute of Marketing qualifications through to post-graduate level.

Sensing situations and opportunities before they happen has been a trait of entrepreneurs for centuries. But just how did such people learn to do this and as marketers what can we do to ensure we aren't left behind in this ever-changing world?

The answer may lie in the principles and structure of Emerging Themes, one of four modules on the CIM's professional post graduate diploma.

Emerging Themes is a straightforward concept but one often overlooked by marketers as they are forced into reacting to each day and the tactical short-term challenges thrown at them by their organisations.

The concept of Emerging Themes is simple: 

1. Watch the world around you

2. Build a response to the most siginificant opportunity or threat that you see

3. Prove the return in your investment of time and money focusing on it

So where do you start?

Information sources are essential. Think of the big picture and set up interesting and motivating feeds of information from a political, environmental, social, economic, legal and technological perspective. These feeds might be through a combination of social media, the press, secondary research and industry leaders.

Don't just do this once. You must watch your sources daily to spot trends and themes emerging. You are what's called 'sensing'. 

One theme will rise to the surface, coming back to your attention time and again. 

Take this theme and think about the impact both positive and negative on your strategy. How is the competition doing when you think of the theme? Have they even noticed it? What proof can you find that this emerging theme is real?

Your theme may not have an impact on all of your marketing or all of your customers so think about where the impact will be greatest.

Use your thinking to adapt your strategy and re-shape your tactical marketing. Remember to consider products, processes, people, promotions, in fact all of the 7Ps.

How will you measure the positive impact of your emerging theme or the reduction of negative impact, because some emerging themes might help you prevent a future down turn in business fortunes.

Whatever your theme and however you work with it, remember this is just one of numerous themes that you'll encounter. Embrace them before they pass you by. 

- Posted on Tuesday 11 Oct 2011 at 12:43 by Neil Wilkins

Tags: emerging themes (4)