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Coping with a Marketing Crisis: When to Throw Strategy out the Window

Guest post by: Ed Delia

Article Overview: Everyone has heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, in the brand communications world, we say, “It takes a crisis to create a marketing plan.”

Coping with a Marketing Crisis: When to Throw Strategy out the Window

Too often, small to mid-sized company executives become consumed with the day-to-day operations of the business. As a result, important marketing strategy sessions end up at the bottom of the pile of importance. However, an immediate marketing need or crisis can bring business to a screeching halt. Suddenly, your brand, your message, and how the message gets out, becomes top priority.
When there’s a crunch on, the fact is this: brand strategy and brand development, while important, simply have to take a back seat to action items. Instead of “ASAP,” we use terms like “hard deadline,” “critical path,” “essential deliverables,” and “final destination,” to bring order to a potentially chaotic situation.

Here’s a “glass is half full" perspective: an emergency need can springboard a company into a solid, long-term marketing program. This sudden shift into action mode inspires an eventual long-term, proactive approach to your brand’s success.

And, when in crisis mode, consulting with professionals to create hard deadlines and develop a workable action plan can be the difference between success and failure.

Top Ten Marketing Emergencies
Over the years, Delia Associates has seen it all….and remedied even the most urgent marketing calamities, including our Top Ten Marketing Emergencies:

1. An upcoming event – your event is only weeks away and you need presentation materials, posters, collateral, media kits, and participants to fill the seats.


2. A tradeshow on the horizon – your event is only three months away, and you have made no arrangements for a booth structure, or given any thought to how to “win the crowd” once you and your booth make it to the show floor.


3. A product/service launch – you’re about to unveil your latest creation . . . now only if your customers and prospects knew about it.


4. A direct competitor – is about to introduce a new product or service . . . and you have an opportunity to beat them to the marketplace.


5. Sudden Partnership or Acquisition – your company just joined forces with another brand and your web site, sales collateral and corporate communications need an immediate overhaul.


6. A Major Meeting – You just set a meeting with what could be your next great client, yet your presentation materials are not very presentable.


7. A Speaking Opportunity – you’ve just been asked to replace the keynote speaker at a huge industry conference – this weekend – and you need a presentation and hand-outs that look like they took months to prepare.


8. A Strategic Partner – has offered to put your message in front of a new segment of potential customers, but you have nothing to give them.


9. Something Big – your company just realized a big victory. The news is time sensitive and you want to take a proactive stance.


10. Rumor Control – the rumor mill is churning and you need to issue a press release to set the record straight.

Do any of these sound familiar?
If you are currently experiencing one (or several) of the Top 10 Marketing Emergencies, you’re not alone. We’ve seen it happen to companies of all sizes, in all different industries. So the last thing we’ll say is the last thing you’ll want to hear: “Why didn’t you address this sooner?”

Emergency Marketing Team
Instead, we’ll put our Emergency Marketing Team to work, and help you turn a crisis into a conquest. Delia Associates’ team of brand strategists, public relations professionals, media experts, web developers, designers and copy writers are experienced in just-in-time marketing scenarios. Go here for more information, or call 908-534-9044 ASAP (only kidding).

Remember, sometimes a marketing crisis can bring out the best in people, and bring your brand communications to the forefront of importance. So take the glass-is-half-full outlook, roll up your sleeves and get going. You can do it. And if you hit the wall, give us a call. Good luck and play well!

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Article Tags: action mode, brand strategy, calamities, chaotic situation, company executives, crisis mode, critical path, deliverables, emergency need, final destination, marketing program, marketing strategy, presentation materials, proactive approach, screeching halt, springboard, strategy sessions, success and failure, sudden shift, top priority



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