JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- During difficult economic times business managers often consider cutbacks in the marketing division – and the reason is because of the failure of this critical area of business to deliver easily measurable results.

Some experts in business management solution development and application believe the marketing function today has to provide these results in order to demonstrate that it can actively support the growth and establishment of the business brand.

Teryl Schroenn, CEO of Accsys, says the truism that ‘you cannot manage what you can’t measure’ is particularly relevant when considering a reduction in the marketing competency within a business.

Schroenn says whilst many of these divisions are highly effective in generating superb advertising and marketing collateral, the question of how they measure success still stands.

“I believe it is critical for marketing departments to have very clear measurables running parallel with brand building,” says Schroenn.

There are instances in business when, in order to accurately assess whether or not a process is working, it is necessary to put a stop to it. This will allow for before-and after comparisons.

“It is really tough to evaluate brand improvement over shortish time periods, which makes it very important to establish the current status before launching a new initiative,” Schroenn continues.

One of the main objectives of a sustained, focused marketing campaign is to achieve exposure because failure to do so could send out an inaccurate and negative message about the business.

However, according to Schroenn, the majority of marketing spend should be around clearly defined goals which are aligned with business strategy and objectives.


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Liza du Plessis