Comments on: Brand Management in smaller companies http://thebrandingblog.com/brandmanagement/brand-management-smaller-companies/ information and strongly-held opinions concerning branding and positioning Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:07:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Michael Kolbrener http://thebrandingblog.com/brandmanagement/brand-management-smaller-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-36043 Michael Kolbrener Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:21:05 +0000 http://thebrandingblog.com/?p=354#comment-36043 Martin, Thanks for all of the great insight on your blog. Just came across it and very impressed with the depth and insight here. - Mike mkolbrener@axiscomm.com Martin,
Thanks for all of the great insight on your blog. Just came across it and very impressed with the depth and insight here.
- Mike
mkolbrener@axiscomm.com

]]> By: Martin Jelsema http://thebrandingblog.com/brandmanagement/brand-management-smaller-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-36012 Martin Jelsema Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:10:19 +0000 http://thebrandingblog.com/?p=354#comment-36012 Chris: So how does this blog entry start? I say it's not a full-time job in a small business. I also say that the smaller the company, the more likely the CEO is the chief strategist. My main point, and this is for any company no matter the size is that branding is strategic, not tactical at its inception, and should not be relegated to a marketing/sale VP looking for the short-term sale. That's not theory, that's real life experience of seeing what happens to small business brands in the hands of sales-oriented execs. I never said a small company should have a full-time branding exec, nor did I spout theory here. In small companies, the CEO should be the CBO and no one else. Chris: So how does this blog entry start? I say it’s not a full-time job in a small business. I also say that the smaller the company, the more likely the CEO is the chief strategist.

My main point, and this is for any company no matter the size is that branding is strategic, not tactical at its inception, and should not be relegated to a marketing/sale VP looking for the short-term sale.

That’s not theory, that’s real life experience of seeing what happens to small business brands in the hands of sales-oriented execs.

I never said a small company should have a full-time branding exec, nor did I spout theory here. In small companies, the CEO should be the CBO and no one else.

]]> By: Chris Brown http://thebrandingblog.com/brandmanagement/brand-management-smaller-companies/comment-page-1/#comment-36010 Chris Brown Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:22:46 +0000 http://thebrandingblog.com/?p=354#comment-36010 Martin: In theory, I agree with you, but in real life, I don't. It's too expensive & far removed from a "small" company. In a smaller company they don't have 4 or 5 people in these functions. Theres a top CEO, a sales/mkt person, an operations person and a finance person. Three VPs... If the company is a little bigger, depending upon the industry they are in, there might be 7-10 VP's: R&D, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, IT, Purchasing, HR, who report to the CEO. Still not CSO. Strategy comes from a 2 day off site meeting with a consultant. And tweeks from each of the VP's who hammer it out vying for the attn of the CEO. Hopefully the firm selects a consultant who can facilitate the group to lead them to where they want to go with their strategy. Or the CEO is heavy handed and sets the iron fist down. But I don't see a realistic Chief Strategy Officer who does this 365 days in a small company. It's the CEO or the group or an outsider. Or better yet, the Marketing head. Marketing isn't always about driving product. It's about driving the company. You'd at least need a medium sized company to support that expensive of indirect labor on staff. Just my opinion. Chris Martin:
In theory, I agree with you, but in real life, I don’t. It’s too expensive & far removed from a “small” company.

In a smaller company they don’t have 4 or 5 people in these functions.

Theres a top CEO, a sales/mkt person, an operations person and a finance person. Three VPs…

If the company is a little bigger, depending upon the industry they are in, there might be 7-10 VP’s: R&D, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, IT, Purchasing, HR, who report to the CEO.

Still not CSO. Strategy comes from a 2 day off site meeting with a consultant. And tweeks from each of the VP’s who hammer it out vying for the attn of the CEO. Hopefully the firm selects a consultant who can facilitate the group to lead them to where they want to go with their strategy. Or the CEO is heavy handed and sets the iron fist down.

But I don’t see a realistic Chief Strategy Officer who does this 365 days in a small company. It’s the CEO or the group or an outsider. Or better yet, the Marketing head. Marketing isn’t always about driving product. It’s about driving the company.

You’d at least need a medium sized company to support that expensive of indirect labor on staff.

Just my opinion.
Chris

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