In the latest episode in the Marketing Dividends series presented by AANA, host James Hier speaks with three of Melbourne’s top marketers to discuss the wider operational challenges of achieving efficiencies, and the merits of long-term brand building compared with short-term initiatives.
Joining him are Sweta Mehra (CMO at ANZ), Amanda Banfield (area VP Australia, New Zealand, Japan at Mondelez International) and Wayne Gabriel (GM national marketing Toyota Australia).
Mondelez might not be a household name but its brands certainly are, with the likes of Cadbury and Oreo in its stable, and their marketing teams have to consider stimulating short-term sales performance vs. long-term brand building.
“We’ve got a wonderful kind of brand heritage and legacy and the focus initially was on making sure we have the right cost consciousness and efficiencies in place to deliver bottom line returns to our shareholders. Through this, we’ve been able to sustain the marketing investment and focus on ROI as a critical measure which, in turn, sustains a modest level of growth,” Banfield says.
The episode also examines ANZ as it tries to balance ROI with community activity that drives consumer preference.
“As banks, we’re not just selling our products; we’ve become an integral part of the community. For example, we support Mardi Gras and The Australian Open, which means a lot to our brand identity and the communities we operate within. These activities in turn drive more effective and longer-term ROI compared with shorter-term activities,” Mehra says.
Gabriel discusses 15 years of consecutive growth at Toyota as the company remains focused on ever more efficient operations, and marketing must be fully integrated to build on this success.
“On the production line, we look to take seconds out of a particular phase or step of building a car, if it means that it’s going to make it more efficient and effective. We take the same approach to marketing, measuring its activities to the nth degree," he says.
You can watch the episode here:
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