Page 24 - Journal of Strategic Marketing Magazine - April 2019
P. 24
STRATEGY
The practicality
of strategy in retail
The nature of retail is about designing solutions on the fly, writes Didy Andersson. The
agency and their strategist should be a step ahead of the client, and ultimately have
a seat at the chief marketing officer’s table to share the responsibility of key strategic
conversations.
T he world of bricks and mortar strategists have a role to play in this designing solutions on the ly. The
The questions are: Do agency
The nature of retail is about
retail is on rocky ground. The
likes of Edcon and Massmart,
aggressive landscape? And do modern
agency and their strategist should
among others, have suffered locally,
and globally brands such as New Look, day brands honestly have time for be a step ahead of the client, and
strategy at an agency level?
ultimately have a seat at the chief
Debenhams and Marks & Spencer are marketing oficer's table to share
struggling. The nature of retail the responsibility of key strategic
Those that are future-focused, The days of receiving a written conversations. The strategist should
having evolved, innovated and brief, digesting it, traficking it, and be another part of the future-prooing
managed their eficiencies, are the descending into a dark hole for a brains trust for the brand, working
pack leaders. Think Ikea, Target, few weeks to emerge with a long within the parameters of the business
Amazon, Alibaba. They have been presentation illed with content, as a rather than the strictures of an agency.
nimble, relevant and above all they result of ‘thinking’ are over. The days Strategy is not something to be
have launched imaginative products of a strategist being the automatic out-sourced, but neither is it something
and services. They listen, and often precursor to a piece of creative work to be owned in-house. It would be
co-create product line-ups with their (a bit like a pre-wash in a washing irresponsible of marketers to not
consumers. machine cycle) are also over. welcome external perspectives into
p22 - Strategic Marketing
The practicality
of strategy in retail
The nature of retail is about designing solutions on the fly, writes Didy Andersson. The
agency and their strategist should be a step ahead of the client, and ultimately have
a seat at the chief marketing officer’s table to share the responsibility of key strategic
conversations.
T he world of bricks and mortar strategists have a role to play in this designing solutions on the ly. The
The questions are: Do agency
The nature of retail is about
retail is on rocky ground. The
likes of Edcon and Massmart,
aggressive landscape? And do modern
agency and their strategist should
among others, have suffered locally,
and globally brands such as New Look, day brands honestly have time for be a step ahead of the client, and
strategy at an agency level?
ultimately have a seat at the chief
Debenhams and Marks & Spencer are marketing oficer's table to share
struggling. The nature of retail the responsibility of key strategic
Those that are future-focused, The days of receiving a written conversations. The strategist should
having evolved, innovated and brief, digesting it, traficking it, and be another part of the future-prooing
managed their eficiencies, are the descending into a dark hole for a brains trust for the brand, working
pack leaders. Think Ikea, Target, few weeks to emerge with a long within the parameters of the business
Amazon, Alibaba. They have been presentation illed with content, as a rather than the strictures of an agency.
nimble, relevant and above all they result of ‘thinking’ are over. The days Strategy is not something to be
have launched imaginative products of a strategist being the automatic out-sourced, but neither is it something
and services. They listen, and often precursor to a piece of creative work to be owned in-house. It would be
co-create product line-ups with their (a bit like a pre-wash in a washing irresponsible of marketers to not
consumers. machine cycle) are also over. welcome external perspectives into
p22 - Strategic Marketing
