Are two thorny issues innovation and the customer relationship

The marketing function is obsolete. "Finding emanates from the very serious firm Forrester Research study published before the summer. While opens today the third edition of foundations of marketing for the "Echos", observation may seem harsh. However, she brings several positive elements, starting with awareness of necessary change, corroborated by various analyses.

A comparative study in service companies consultancy in management Referis, and the commercial action Chair and distribution of the CNAM (national Conservatory of arts and trades), four responsible for marketing in five declare living an evolution of their service or expect to some editorial changes. If mergers or groupings of activities are the origin of a part of these developments, for most it's many changes related to increased marketing efficiency and research of the business in its markets", notes Eric Leboucher, Director General of Referis. For its part, the survey conducted by TNS Sofres for the foundations of marketing note an evolution of the previous edition of two years ago: "We get a more serene and more dynamic trade vision." "Whereas in 2004, the marketers were under pressure, a bit depressed, they seem to be left to the conquest of their markets and their customers," notes Laurent Guillaume, CEO of TNS Sofres.

Different pressures

Finding shared by all observers: the marketing organization is in full redesign. Three quarters of the departments were reorganized these past two years, according to Forrester Research. The Referis-CNAM study observed a disappearance of the structures at three levels (Group, regional, local) for the benefit of an organization in both ends: global and local, with as objective the strengthening of the coherence of actions and the image at the global level (management) and the decentralization of the action closer to the ground (operational marketing).

If the marketing officials continue, according to TNS Sofres, to first order to increase sales, market share and profitability, "the gap between the ideal and the reality has reduced." "Where before they felt under pressure of the financial results, they are more the link between profitability and the requirements of trade, which is much more motivating and seems to show that they are less to view the past", analysis Laurent Guillaume. In support of this thesis: 91 say they have a clear vision of the priorities in the short term of their business while they were 81 two years ago. They believe also benefit from more means to measure the impact of the actions, launches and promotions. Finally, pressure from shareholders is less felt: in 2004, 79 felt that it limited their risk-taking, they are more than 63. Flexibility, 61 against 71 in 2004 believe to have enough to adapt international strategies to their local market.

The pressure is still strong, but more commercial and less financial; She "weighs probably for a renewed vision more dynamic and more serene service", according to Laurent Guillaume. This would in part explain the emergence of new powers, such as the emergence of a client "knowledge" pole, including according to Referis the steering of external studies and analysis of data customers in a same function.

These developments led most to feel more comfortable in their function, according to the results of TNS Sofres: 45 (compared to 33 in 2004) believe benefit budgets and sufficient means to measure the impact of the actions, launches and promotions. "Now, involved the company in the success of the objectives appears as the most important challenge", note Laurent Guillaume.

A hear these officials, the tools that will most change the exercise of their function in the coming years are communication and targeting, techniques of greater knowledge of consumers and the study of behaviours coming in third and fourth position. For TNS Sofres, the result echoed the emergence of new media, Internet on the mobile phone, but in order to recruit new customers more to retain the old. For evidence, in determining the effectiveness of the means of communication, professionals attribute site mark the sixth position behind the pub in television, point of sale communication, display, advertising in the magazine press and radio.

Are two thorny issues: innovation and the customer relationship. "Innovation is a major concern of maximum, but paradoxically, the risk aversion is such that the structures remain chilly." "The problem is elsewhere over the behavior actors the strategy of organizations, often ambitious on paper", reflects Alain Bloch, Director of the Chair trade action and distribution at the CNAM.

According to Forrester Research, 80 of the marketing managers are not influential in major interactions with consumers, including at the level of customer service. And 85 have even more control of the "4 P" (product, price, place, promotion): "To be more effective, the marketers must pass to a client-oriented organization;" "this requires to move away from the culture of marketing communication," notes Peter Kim, the author of the study. "It is a function in which it has lost much of creativity, but the matrix management rendered complex and increased the decision-making process," argues Hana Gauer, who developed ten years marketing of AXA and comes with debut taking MRM Worldwilde branch. It advocates a strengthening of risk based on personal ideas taking manager more than a knowledge of the needs of the client which is known that he never really knows what he wants. She concludes: "major failures come from those who believed in something." Tomorrow, a good marketer must no doubt be a man or a woman of conviction.