Note to self: Scandinavia is cold in March. But my visit there this past week will be memorable for more than chills. One member visit stands out against the rest for the remarkable shift the marketing function has made in the last few years.

Four years ago, this Council member was spending 100% of its marketing resource in a traditional “fire and forget” manner—campaign-driven with traditional media featuring heavily. Today, that mix has shifted to three-quarters digital and emerging media.

The speed and magnitude of the shift is remarkable in its own right, but more interesting has been the shift in the operating mentality of the marketing team. Fully half of the marketing team’s resources, time and energy is managed in an “Always On” mode, not on a fire-and-forget basis. This Always On mentality, more than anything else, has poised the company to see great success with digital media and social networking in the coming years.

Why?

Because this company is far more likely to maintain the continuous investment that digital and social media demand. Marketing’s Always On mentality has embedded the kinds of behaviors and processes that are best suited for nurturing the relationship assets that these media can create.  What do those behaviors and processes look like?

• A budgeting process that treats maintenance of relationship assets for the long-term investment they are
• A steady work cadence that lets marketers put ongoing attention against optimizing and course-correcting relationship assets (as opposed to the big burst, up-and-down, campaign-centric approach)
• Planning processes that are flexible enough to integrate campaign-based marketing initiatives with evergreen assets (whether a website or a Facebook friend community)
• Governance mechanisms for assets that are shared across product groups or businesses
• Patience for an extended time horizon to see significant returns from those assets

In summary, benchmark yourself against an Always On modus operandi if its social and digital marketing success you seek. Oh, and pack a heavy coat if you’re visiting Scandinavia in March.

MLC members, dive into our newly launched Social Media resource center with expanded tools, vendor ratings exchange, and updated social media showcase.

For all readers, you’ll find a nice selection of heavy winter gear here, here and here (actually, this last one is for dogs. Its called Chilly Dogs. I can’t make this stuff up). If you’d like Swedish meatballs without the frigid temps, Ikea’s store locator is here.

Related posts:

1. Can Marketing Win Friends and Influence People?
2. Social Media | Is Marketing the “Tip of the Spear” in a Corporate Cultural Revolution?
3. Beat the Social Media Investment Catch-22
4. Your 3 Biggest Social Media Questions, Answered
5. Glocalization – Catchy Buzzword or Required Marketing Capability?