Board directors are all asking the same question of UM boss Ross Raeburn: What are you doing to shift product?
But if brands really want an answer to that question, he says they must allow agencies to run the rule over their sales and marketing operations.
Speaking at MCN’s Homefronts, Raeburn said the recurring theme of delivering commercial outcomes was “refreshing”.
“Most of the conversations I’m having with CMOs, CIOs and CEOs are around commercial outcomes. But there is a massive difference between having that intent and following it though.”
The crux for agencies, he said, is attribution.
“The challenge is not the intent, but the analytics and the ability to demonstrate that collectively we actually achieved [sales growth].”
That means agencies have to evaluate in-house sales and customer service teams, said Raeburn, so that weak links can be strengthened.
“It requires us to have an opinion on conversion, which means I have to have an opinion on your website, your sales team, your call centre team. But I think if we can have that shared responsibility [as opposed to finger pointing], we can say ‘our partnerships do drive your business outcomes’.”
That approach, he said required “longer than 12 weeks, more investment and different sorts of investment” and for clients to give “that little bit more” in terms of first party data.
For marketers living under the Damoclean sword of the quarterly board meeting, that represents a risk.
But CMOs bold enough take that approach, suggested Raeburn, stand a chance of extending their tenure beyond the housefly average.
Ross Raeburn, UM - MCN HomeFront & Personal from Multi Channel Network on Vimeo.
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