Name the change
Marketing Directors are increasingly being asked for integrated brand planning, so we’ve helped AkzoNobel bring its sales, marketing and category departments together to create one commercial plan. As each team has its own priorities and perspectives, getting the right people together at the right time was critical to success, so we engaged key individuals on a fast track Brand Camp programme.
Make it stick
Our approach was ruthlessly simple: get key people in ‘lock down’ sessions where decisions were made there and then. The sessions focused on three areas: issues and opportunities; objectives and strategies; and activity plans. If expertise was needed in a particular area, such as R&D or Finance, those people were brought in to ensure agreement was reached without delay. Each meeting ended with an alignment session to discourage any change of direction outside the meeting, and ensure whatever was discussed and agreed was done.