Engineering marketing plans

When major engineering projects go wrong it is usually very public and serious. Bridges that oscillate, high speed trains that fail in snow, cars recalled for brake failure; problems where rectification can often be lengthy and expensive. What happens when marketing goes wrong may be less dramatic although there have certainly been some very public campaign failures, but the more likely outcome is damage to the reputation of a brand, customers going elsewhere and sometimes the problems are difficult to fix once the damage is done. 

Common to successful engineering projects and successful marketing is the importance of planning and testing first. Our technical marketing philosophy helps engineer marketing solutions that support and aid delivery of company objectives. Starting at the beginning of the planning process is the marketing plan. Very few companies actually seem to have one any more than they have a formal business plan. There is too often the impression conveyed that the only marketing plan is to repeat last year's pattern of expenditure - usually the last several years - which makes it difficult to find budget for new concepts. All at a time when marketing is rapidly evolving. The usual reason given for not having a formal marketing plan is lack of time. But what is the point in spending money without knowing why or having any benchmark to measure whether it is successful? We recommend not only reviewing the marketing plan at least annually, but also setting the budget that will help deliver the results and company objectives.