Marketing is at the heart of everything. It brings concepts to life, turns them into a brand and gives them a meaning. Without it, you end up with products with a discounted price tag.

It is the point where all functions of a company converge at some point or another to contribute their piece.

It is the broadest and most loosely defined function than any other function in an organisation and is thinly stretched to include communications, product/ brand/ category development, brand strategy, customer service, market research, pricing, and so on.

Depending on which region one is sitting in a company (global, regional, local), marketing has a different meaning, goals and is executed differently.

Having sat in different marketing functions over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with every single function that exists in a company -legal, procurement, sourcing, R&D, logistics, top management, creative, online – and outside of it -distributors, consumers, sales people on the floor, store managers.

This has provided me with valuable insights on how each function operates, what their priorities are and how to align my priorities with theirs.

I have also experienced how far theory is from reality. How 5 year strategies, arduously produced by one team with the help of highly paid consultants end up being obsolete after only a few months because no one bothered to engage the floor staff or the consumer. I have participated in wonderful innovation workshops with impressive ppts, charts, processes and the lot and ended up launching the boss’ wife favourite product.

I want to take you, the reader, through the journey of a brand, from theory to practice, from concept to materialisation, looking at it from the perspective of the overall company (future vision), the consumer, the distribution channels and the different stakeholders.

This is really my journey, navigating through big and small companies selling products to end consumers. My compass throughout this journey has been the creation of a strong relationship between the brand and the consumer.  

I will be sharing real life anecdotes and some practical tips in hope of raising some interesting questions and offer a different perspective on things. Hopefully I will also put a smile on your face!

Yes some posts are long, but stick to them, it is good practice for your concentration!

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Find out more about me here.