The Role of Marketing Communication Managers
Marketing communication managers juggle a number of related roles, as project manager (56 percent), agency liaison (56 percent) and brand champion (44 percent), according to the recent poll on our website. Running close behind were budget manager (33 percent), marketing cheerleader (22 percent) and trade show coordinator (11 percent). Our sample size was small—17 people cast their votes—but I am inclined to believe that these are people who matter, because they are sufficiently engaged in marketing communications, very likely as practitioners, to take the time to share their views.
The good news is that almost half of those who voted believe that marketing communication managers are brand champions. In my mind, this is perhaps the single most important role from the perspective of company need as well as professional advancement, not to mention making life easier for those of us on the agency side. The brand champion is a holder of a vision and a leader and thus has a strategic role that can impact bottom line results, which is why I believe that this is the role that can help propel a more exciting and rewarding career trajectory. While many marketing and product managers may also view themselves as brand champions, the marketing communication function is unique in its day-to-day focus on shaping customer perception—even in such routine and often mundane tasks as trade show coordination. And, unless a marketing communication manager embraces the role of brand champion, he or she will fall prey to becoming a full-time tactician with, most likely, a lackluster brand. So what if all projects are completed on time and on budget?
A friend pointed out to me that he wished there were a better term than “agency liaison,” because the word “liaison” seems rather passive, but he thought it was better than the often-used “agency contact.” I agree, for the effective agency liaison is a leader who sets clear directions and defines lofty but achievable goals, a salesperson who can convince management on myriad strategic and tactical issues such as resource allocation and agency choices and all the way to convincing the team to take a risk with the big idea, as well as a fastidious process driver who will sweat the details, making sure all bases are covered and everyone is on the same page. Does it surprise you that there are so few great clients?
I chuckled when I noted that no one put down “creative director” as one of the roles. Phew!