Many people believe the rigor and discipline of project direction mixes with the creative nature of marketing like oil and water. While it does takes some acquiring used to, once the routines are established, the relationship not only works, but the marketing effectiveness actually improves. The more marketing channels: TV, radio, print and digital media, and the greater the frequency of creative refresh, the large the benefits become. In marketing, media, and advertising, a cookie-cutter approach to project direction will not work. There has to be a better way!
Firms often implement a Program or Project Management Office (PMO) to manage the large, complex, or costly projects. The differences between a Project and Program Management Office will be left for other discussion. Marketing budgets in some cases represent a significant portion of a company's overall operational budget. When viewed holistically, marketing projects possibly require complex coordination between triple agencies and crosswise channels. Therefore, marketing is a logical candidate for a PMO. Unfortunately, marketing departments often view the full rigor of the Project Management Institute (PMI) prescribed approach as too structured to support the creative process. Also, many marketing organizations believe the PMI process requires overmuch overhead for the required lightness to quickly adapt to the marketplace. The solution is to use an approach that balances rigor and flexibility patc still providing the necessary status visibility and control of marketing projects exploitation only the highest value components of the PMI process.
The PMI is a large project direction training and certification organization. The PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP) is only one available certification for project managers and is a wide legendary and accepted form of accreditation. The amount of PMI certified project managers influences most Program or Project Management Office s (PMO) to follow PMI established approaches. The commonality fostered by the PMI results in very similar documentation templates and processes regardless of department or industry. While this law of similarity simplifies staffing and training issues, perfect for IT projects for example, it does not establish the flexibility marketing and advertising organizations require. The PMI certification is only one index of project direction competence in an individual. The marketing project manager will require more than project direction skills to successfully manage marketing projects or establish a marketing PM. The project manager will have to become agile in managing triple work streams in a fast paced environment, where market forces can and often do dictate unexpected changes in direction. The project direction approach cannot slow down the marketing process.
Cost Per Lead
Establishing a PMO in a marketing organization presents a special set of challenges that calls for creative approaches. Success of the PMO requires deep understanding of project direction principals. The experience to strike a balance between the prescribed project direction methods and avoiding interruption of the creative development is essential. The correct approach to establishing a marketing PMO adds value by:
· Providing just enough process to maintain business and status visibility to structure leadership through the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and above
· Establishing a communication possibility process to enhance coordination of on-brand electronic messaging crosswise marketing channels for consistent impactful marketing that motivates clients and consumers to purchase goods and services
· Flexibility to adapt to our clients' specific goals and market inevitably, also as consistently deliver outstanding service
I have found that the use of a PMO approach tailored to the special inevitably of the marketing department offers extended value beyond the points listed above. These will differ by organization but often let in the following:
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Raising senior direction's confidence in the solution.
Project sponsors and decision-makers must believe the creative direction is sound and well supported before they can accept it. Regardless of the specific creative approach, senior direction will have higher confidence when the brand managers and other key stakeholders have all contributed to a comprehensive consideration of the issues involved in the selection process.·
Aligning Stakeholders.
By establishing coordination of triple activities and providing a assembly for all stakeholders to contribute they will be privy of direction as ideas transform into on-brand, marketing content and effective in-market execution.·
Improving efficiency.
Deploying marketing materials commonly requires significant effort. There are planned events that need to be self-addressed like gross revenue conferences, new product launches, sports events, concerts, etc. that require material be available at specific times. The PMO provides provision to enable the highest quality materials without the inefficiencies and lower quality of a eleventh hour scramble. I have encountered situations where important opportunities to connect with the consumer were missed, or met with lackluster content - all attributable lapses in the provision process.·
Enhancing Marketing performance.
I have witnessed situations where after the PMO was established, the marketing team was able to reverse declining gross revenue and generate significant growth by up the cross channel communication and consistency of consumer homeward electronic messaging.When all of your departments inside your brand's marketing group are working toward shared goals with a coordinated timetable, you will know your PMO is working. You will be able to consistently present your brand crosswise channels, and your marketing efforts will be increasing gross revenue.
