Transcript Marketing and IT: Forging a Unique Partnership

Marketing and IT :
Forging a Unique Partnership
Theresa Kushner
Maria Villar
June 9, 2009
Jump to first page
Before we get started…



How many marketing technologists
in the audience?
How many people are highly
dependent on IT for marketing
operations? Metrics?
How many feel that to be
successful in marketing they need
to be more and more technical?
Jump to first page
Why is it important?

Marketing’s move to link tighter with sales puts
greater pressure on Technology
 CRM/Customer
Data Integration
 Modeling and Forecasting
 Web Analytics
 Social Media


Strong partnership required for project success
and business ROI
Economic crisis demands better, faster, cheaper
solutions
 Marketing
must constantly prove relevance
Jump to first page
Background
Maria Villar
x
Theresa Kushner
12 yrs IT Management
15 yrs SW Product Dev
Owner, MCV LLC
Author
15 years DBM
12 years Marcom,
Marketing Operations
Author
External Recognition:
TDWI best practice
Hispanic Engineer awards
External Recognition:
TDWI best practice
2008 NCDM Gold Winner-Analytics
Who’s Who in B2B 2007
Jump to first page
Collaboration track record

8+ years working together
Collaborated at IBM
 Co-authored a book
 Written joint articles & presentations
 Ongoing professional activities

Track record based on mutual respect & appreciating
the unique value we each bring to the partnership
x
Jump to first page
Session objectives



Why IT-Marketing partnerships are difficult
4 steps to a successful partnership
Can you maximize your partnership?
Jump to first page
Quiz : On a scale of 1 - 5
What is the level of IT-Marketing
partnership at your company?
 1: Poor -- Communicate only when
necessary through formal projects
and emails
 3: Average -- A few project
successes and individual partnerships
exist but majority of the time,
relationship is strained
 5 : Ideal -- Equal partners, constant
communication, shared successes,
shared mistakes
Jump to first page
IT and Marketing differences
Fundamental differences in thought process, culture and priority
“The breakdown in communication between the sciences and humanities
will be a major hindrance to the world’s problem.” C P Snow (1959)

IT thinks:




Marketing thinks:




x
Marketing doesn’t know what they want or need
Not structured (right brain) or project disciplined
Does not have time to understand the IT challenges
IT does not understand what we need
Too slow; too expensive
Don’t deliver on their schedules or promises
Too structured and bureaucratic (left brain)
Jump to first page
4 steps to creating an
effective partnership




Know your partner
Develop a relationship
Define roles and responsibilities
Open a communication channel
Jump to first page
Establish your starting point:
Know your partner



Past experience with IT or marketing projects
Partnership history: What is it?
 Friends of Partnerships
 Know it All : “I am superior, I know best”
 Doesn’t care: “Why are you bothering me”
Boss’s experience with IT and marketing
Knowing your starting point will provide a view of the time &
effort the partnership will take
Jump to first page
Developing a relationship






Attend each other’s meetings
Participate in A “Day in the life”
Report IT analyst into Marketing units
or vice versa
Understand the details of a challenge
the other is having
Show public appreciation
Report jointly to management
Jump to first page
Define roles, responsibilities
Marketing Roles
IT Roles
• Define business, data,
performance, quality and value
requirements
• Enhance marketing processes
• Approve application and data
business rules
• Procure external data; partner
with IT to consolidate for
corporate use, manage
contract relationship
• Translate business
requirements into IT
specifications
• Select best technical solution
(Make vs Buy analysis)
• Define the IT architecture and
standards
• Project manage IT solution
• Maintain technical HW/SW
infrastructure according to
SLA
• Define/Track/Meet IT
availability, quality, cost of
ownership, value metrics
• Train and support users
Caution: Don’t pick the
technical solution
x
Jump to first page
Define roles, responsibilities
Management roles (both)
• Set realistic expectations and
measures
• Set example for partnership
behavior
• Encourage the use of IT tools
• Commit to multi-year efforts; set
metrics
• Establish governance forum
• Think and act strategically
• Resolve cross team issues -- quickly
• Ensure appropriate resource
allocation
Jump to first page
Open communication


Regular project status forums
Regular strategy sessions
 “Dream

the same dream”
Joint Metrics
 Business: ROI, process improvements
 IT: availability, DQ, cost of ownership
Jump to first page
Mitigate the Middleman




Our advice: Don’t have them
But if you must: Agree on roles and
responsibilities of the middleman
 Define requirements
 Conduct/evaluate testing
 Participate in lessons learned
 Provide ongoing maintenance
Continue to attend project status meetings
Maintain final sign-off to requirements,
changes, user interfaces and reports the
business will use
Jump to first page
Constantly ask for feedback


Formal: surveys, write-in comments, web
Informal: one-on-one discussions at all levels
of the organization
How are we doing?
What are we doing right?
What could we do better?
Are we improving from last time?
Are you seeing value from our projects?
How can my team help you succeed?
x
Jump to first page
Key points to remember
• Partnerships are fundamentally based on
people
• Organization partnerships take their lead
from their leaders
• Appreciate the value each group brings to
the table
• Don’t try to do the other’s job
−Don’t have a middleman in the
partnership
−Shared successes and shared mistakes
make for true partnerships
Jump to first page
Can you maximize your
partnership?
Do you know…..
• What will make your partner successful?
• How is he or she measured?
• What keeps he or she up at night?
• What ignites their passion for work?
• If there are any issues that they are
fighting internal to their organizations
that prohibit the partnership from
working?
• If their management supports your
partnership?
Jump to first page
Question and Answers?
Jump to first page
To order your copy,
Online – go to
www.racombooks.com to
place a secure order from our
warehouse at Atlas Books.
Call (24/7) – 800-247-6553
Fax to (312) 494-1600
Mail to:
Racom Books
150 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite #2800
Chicago, IL 60601
Jump to first page