Launching a new program, a new campaign, or relaunching a brand is not just a Marketing function.
When a brand needs to adjust to its market, Marketing leads the charge with new and improved logo, websites, collateral, visual assets, PR and ad campaigns as needed to close the perceptual gaps documented by its research. It can make all the adjustments by itself, and work with Sales to direct the transformation in the relative sterility of its operating room bubble. In many cases that is enough to register on the metrics by which the Marketing nurse is evaluated.
That is the way most SMBs and many public companies do it. And pay a price.
Marketing mirrors the vascular system of the business. If the blood flow is weak, if some organs don’t get enough oxygen, if the blood is contaminated, the business will show signs of poor health.
Too often other parts of the business are left out of the launch process until the last phase. Too often Marketing will act in elitist isolation, and place other departments in reactive mode. Too often management fails to recognize the nutrients that feed the growth of silos.
A launch affects all aspects of a business, whether it is a new line, a new service, a new product, or a brand refresh; implicating all departments early translates into better preparation and execution. The launch wheel illustrates critical arteries management needs to keep clean to insure resource and cultural alignment. Each department has a role to play and must be included in the launch planning process to adapt to the new market realities.
