Every team has its manager, who defines the team’s strategy and objectives. In much the same way, businesses have their managing director or CEO to play this role, defining the business’ mission, strategy and objectives.
It is the responsibility of the captain to marshal their players on the pitch and deliver their manager’s strategy and achieve their objectives.

Your business needs a similar function as the captain on the pitch. It needs an individual or department that is responsible for communicating your strategy and business objectives to the different departments of your business, and pulling them together to work in partnership to achieve those objectives.

We believe that marketing is that function.

Now where does your captain and key player sit within the team? For us, it has to be in the centre of everything. They must play the role of creator, developer, communicator, motivator, the central hub of the team, through which all the play goes, a midfield general if you will.

Marketing should take this place within your business.

It should not sit on the periphery of the game, coming in to play every so often. Many businesses see marketing in this way. A necessary evil, linked to sales and advertising. We believe this is entirely the wrong perspective to take on it.

Marketing should be the MD or CEO’s best friend, their ‘captain’ in the business, ensuring that the business works most efficiently to achieve its objectives. It should operate a central role within your business, helping to strengthen your position within the market place, ensuring you keep providing services or products that satisfy your customer’s needs better than your competitors, and at a profit.

So if you are keen to improve your business’ performance, take a look at the role marketing is currently playing in your business, and think about moving it to the centre.