Learning from Other Industries

While the technology sector has developed and changed significantly over the recent past compared with more established industries such as finance and construction, technology marketing is still pretty much the new kid on the block. Even industries that have emerged more recently, such as airlines, have grown up differently from the technology sector, and with different dynamics. As is evident from discussions at a recent ITSMA Inner Circle meeting, however, experience and lessons from such industries can be quite useful for technology marketers.

Speakers and topics at the September 13 meeting, hosted by British Telecom (BT) in central London, included:

• Managing the Brand (Insurance): Geoff Dodds, Head, Brand Strategy, Worldwide Markets, Lloyds of London
• Delivering a Different Experience (Airlines): Peter Fisk, Managing Partner, The Foundation
• Working Effectively with Partners (Construction): David Benson, Director, Carillion

The following summarizes key points from the meeting.

Managing the Brand

In the insurance markets, trust and reputation are essential. In managing its brand, according to Geoff Dodds, Lloyds of London stresses firstly that the brand must be well defined internally, particularly in terms of the existing business culture. People in the organisation need a common understanding of what the word brand means and how its development is the responsibility of all employees, not just those in the marketing department. Keeping the message clear at the top of the business is therefore critical.

In this context, evolving the brand takes time and patience. But brands do change, and they need to change. Providing data to demonstrate the effect of the brand on stakeholders is necessary to make the case for change; it is similarly important to show the impact of change already underway.

Delivering Differentiation

Looking back to the 1980s and 1990s, Peter Fisk noted that new stakeholders, new entrants, and the opening of new markets in the airline industry required new approaches to the customer experience. "Thinking like the customer" was at the heart of many of the changes in the travel process that we now take for granted, such as Club World and First Class. By connecting different parts of the service processes, airlines were able to make brands more relevant and compelling to different customer segments by delivering new customer experiences.

Mapping customer touch points and working horizontally across the organisation, the way customers do, enabled companies to take new approaches to all elements of the process, including buying, parking, check-in, waiting, entertainment, arrival, and hiring cars. The key was to stop thinking just about moving passengers from A to B and to think instead about helping people have the holiday of a lifetime, see their friends again, or grow their business internationally. This new thinking was embedded through new cross-organisation roles, outside-in planning processes, needs-based marketing programmes, more empowered service styles, and more customer-oriented performance incentives.

Working Effectively with Partners

The success of any major construction programme, as David Benson reminded participants, depends on the activity of multiple providers and contractors. As such, the effective selection and management of partners is of primary importance, especially given the significant risk and costs in high-profile projects. Most important, according to Benson, is complete openness. Being clear with your potential partners about both your and their objectives right at the start is essential, along with openness about other factors such as appetite for risk and clarity on expertise and margin.

Being customer focused is equally high on the priority list. Partner managers must ensure that each partner maintains full commitment to customer success, and project leaders must focus first and foremost on ensuring that all parties are working together to deliver to the end customer rather than playing to each partner's own management structure.

Although the insurance, airline, and construction industries differ in many ways from the technology industry, the three examples discussed at the ITSMA meeting suggest important parallels to the challenges of marketing technology services and solutions. Certainly the issues of brand, customer experience, and partner collaboration are central to our industry as well, and the examination of lessons from other industries provides much food for thought.

—Celia Gaffney, cgaffney@itsma.com

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About ITSMA
ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. As a membership organization, we provide research, consulting, and training to the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.