Digital Leadership

Bridging the strategy and execution gap

Situation

As traditional advertising agencies and corporations enter the digital arena they’re left with business model and digital talent gaps.  

Language differs from person to person. Silos limit integrated planning. Outputs like digital roadmaps lack consistency and rigor across agencies and business units.  Often, output is approached at a very tactical level ignoring the role that digital plays within a larger ecosystem or a very macro level ignoring specific channels, content, conversion tactics and KPIs. 

Solution

I challenged a global agency to re-think and re-define their digital model to create efficiencies internally and produce better quality work externally.  In that initiative, I acted as a lead consultant to conduct a talent and business model audit.

Toolkits were created for strategists at all levels to understand their role in the digital ecosystem and how they can collaborate with others.  

These toolkits, comprised of cheat sheets, assessments, and worksheets help: 

  • provide educational theory and practical application
  • bridge the strategy and execution gap while navigating the interval between tactics, marketing strategy, and the role of multiple agencies 
  • strategists to recognize where their skill set may fall short and where they need to bring someone else in
  • how to apply insight to make decisions about brand positioning and strategy

 

These toolkits include:

Rules of engagement:

Getting to the right service model, SOW, and allocation of resources. 

  • Goal Setting: Defining clear and measureable roles, understanding the role of digital marketing within a larger ecosystem, identifying areas of collaboration between cross-discipline teams, solidifying the agency role in the process (strategy vs. execution)
  • Digital Maturity Assessment 
  • Roles and responsibilities assessment and audit 

Lay of the land:

In order to develop strategy and allocate resources business leaders need to understand the effectiveness of existing digital initiatives and the current landscape within the category, consumer, competition and industry.

  • Digital landscape audit: Defining current state, ideal state and gaps in-between. Understand into the reach, frequency, depth and relevancy of properties as they exist today. 
  • Industry and Competitive Analysis and Audit
  • Customer/Consumer Insights: 1) Personas 2) Purchase Process maps 3) Online behavior 4) Media consumption 5) Understanding who they are, where they are, where they interact with the brand and what they want online 

Plan of Attack:

  • How to get from point A to point B. This shows recommended channels, content, and CTAs across paid, earned and owned properties and how they work together.
  • Digital Strategy: what it consists of and where to begin
  • Digital Ecosystem Map: Channel, Content, and Conversion planning including short vs. long term online presence and the interrelationship between properties