ARKETING IMPLEMENTATION
We now turn to the question of how marketing managers can effectively implement
marketing plans. We define marketing implementation as follows:^20
■ Marketing implementation is the process that turns marketing plans into
action assignments and ensures that such assignments are executed in a man-
ner that accomplishes the plan’s stated objectives.
A brilliant strategic marketing plan counts for little if it is not implemented properly.
Consider the following example:
A chemical company learned that customers were not getting good service
from any of the competitors. The company decided to make customer ser-
vice its strategic thrust. When this strategy failed, a postmortem revealed a
number of implementation failures. The customer service department con-
tinued to be held in low regard by top management; it was understaffed; and
it was used as a dumping ground for weak managers. Furthermore, the com-
pany’s reward system continued to focus on cost containment and current
profitability. The company had failed to make the changes required to carry
out its strategy.Whereas strategy addresses the whatandwhyof marketing activities, implemen-
tation addresses the who, where, when, and how. Strategy and implementation are
closely related in that one layer of strategy implies certain tactical implementation as-
signments at a lower level. For example, top management’s strategic decision to “har-
vest” a product must be translated into specific actions and assignments.
Bonoma identified four sets of skills for implementing marketing programs:
- Diagnostic skills:When marketing programs do not fulfill expectations, was
the low sales rate the result of poor strategy or poor implementation? If im-
plementation, what went wrong? - Identification of company level:Implementation problems can occur at three
levels: the marketing function, the marketing program, and the marketing
policy level. - Implementation skills:To implement programs successfully, marketers need
other skills: allocating skills for budgeting resources, organizing skills to de-
velop an effective organization, and interaction skills to motivate others to
get things done. - Evaluation skills:Marketers also need monitoring skills to evaluate the results
of marketing actions.^21
The skills needed to implement a marketing plan for nonprofit organizations are
the same as those needed for commercial enterprises, as the Alvin Ailey Dance The-
ater discovered.
■ Alvin Ailey Like many nonprofit cultural organizations, the company
founded by Alvin Ailey in 1958 always seemed to be operating in the red,
despite its ability to attract full houses. The costs of mounting a production
are, by their nature, greater than the income that can be generated by ticket
sales alone, and Ailey had neither a talent for nor a personal interest in the
fund-raising aspects of directing the company. Judith Jamison, the principal
dancer who succeeded Ailey as director at his death in 1989, has managed
to turn the financial picture around. Her success can be attributed in large
part to her skill at motivating others to carry out a marketing effort. A 1993
National Arts Stabilization grant provided matching funds when the com-
pany halved its deficit within a year. An executive director and support staff
whose marketing and management expertise matched the company’s artis-
tic professionalism have managed to keep the company in the black since
chapter 22
Managing the
Total Marketing
Effort^695M