One of our favourite confectionery companies has recently announced that it has set up an external Marketing Advisory Group to help its marketers steer a straight course through the social responsibility minefield – to make sure its marketing activity is not just legal but also reflects our sensibilities around the impact chocolate has on our society – particularly around fitness and obesity.
What does this say about the company’s approach to encouraging and embedding new and creative thinking internally?
The answer lies in the reasons behind why an external body has been established in the first place, such as:
- a sensible way to drive home that the policy is to be taken seriously?
- a healthy and energising challenge forum?
- or a cop-out that means the marketers don’t need to think for themselves?
First up, the external safeguard says that the company is serious about its social responsibilities and is prepared for independent scrutiny and challenge – that’s a great marketing message to consumers, regulators and internally – it shows real commitment.
So what’s the risk of this kind of scrutiny? Marketing staff might feel de-motivated by having their ideas reviewed in this way, if it comes over as ‘command-and-control’. They could assume that they aren’t being trusted to judge for themselves if their ideas are appropriate, or to be accountable for what they and their teams deliver. They might argue that the best ideas come from people who are unconstrained in their thinking and who reach out ‘beyond the fringe’ to provoke a reaction and impact – like Monty Python and the Thick of It, compared to, say, 2point4 Children.
But knowing that someone is going to review your ideas is part of business life. What Mars is really achieving through the group is bringing a fresh perspective and external challenge to their marketing activity. This group can shake up thinking patterns and encourage the teams to be even more creative. We’d argue that this kind of insight is invaluable throughout the creative process – both in-house and with the agencies – if companies are to really grasp the mettle of competitive advantage based on social responsibility. Illuminating what’s of value to all of your stakeholders (and not just your target market) brings huge dividends in broadening people’s thinking, changing the status quo and stretching your team to go beyond what they thought was possible. And as for de-motivating your people, if the challenge is clearly embedded in the creative process with real sponsorship, wouldn’t any really creative and ambitious marketer want to give it a go?
