Modern marketers aren’t marketers at all. They have become project managers and businesses need to free them up to do more real marketing and take more risks, says Mondelez head of marketing services Anthony Ho.
Because there is so much going on from media fragmentation, tech developments and the constant pressure on budgets and resources, it can be difficult for marketers to break free from the “project management” function and be creative marketers, he said.
Ho spoke to AdNews at the wrap event to mark the completion of the 90-day pilots it launched as part of its Mobile Futures project. Ho has led the start-up accelerator program since its launch in Australia earlier this year.
The project, he said, was an opportunity for Mondelez' brand managers to do real marketing, experiment with mobile start-ups and take risks. Something that is difficult when businesses are facing pressure and challenges from all angles.
“Big business has so many challenges going on, that to be able to free yourself, try a few things take a few risks, or to give marketers permission to do that [is difficult]. One of the problems with the modern day is that marketers are project managers - really sophisticated project managers. [A program like Mobile Futures] allows them the opportunity to really be marketers - that's why we come into marketing in the first place, we just need to tap into it.
“You play the role of gate keeper. You've got an agency for everything and you essentially end up just playing the role of judge. So to then be able to immerse yourself [in mobile or start-ups] and get yourself out of that, challenge yourself, upskill yourself, challenge your way of thinking and make yourself a better marketer, opens up the way you have conversation with your agency partners – you think about the digital space differently. A program like Mobile Futures shifts your gears and makes people think about things differently.”
While the 90-day program is over, it is already having an impact on the way the brand managers involved perform in their day-to-day roles, he said, as well as an impact beyond the marketing division.
Mondelez revealed the initial results from the pilots last week, with some seeing conversion rates of up to 50%.
For more news:
Mondelez mobile pilots see conversion rates of 50%
Five Aussie startups picked for Mondelez brand briefs
Mondelez to divert marketing dollars into start-ups
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Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at rosiebaker@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day. Need a job? Visit adnewsjobs.com.au.