Marketing is More Than Growth: The 3 Parts of a Complete Strategy — Reforge

Marketing is More Than Growth: The 3 Parts of a Complete Strategy — Reforge

Cities and Ambition

In the world of marketing, there are three distinct domains that make up a complete strategy: brand marketing, growth marketing, and product marketing. While growth is often the focus, it is important for marketing leaders to integrate all three domains to truly succeed. Brand marketing is all about sharing the story of why your organization exists and creating meaningful connections with customers. It not only increases awareness and captures new customers but also reinforces the brand at every touchpoint in the customer lifecycle. Product marketing, on the other hand, focuses on delivering the brand promise. It involves packaging, pricing, and making features accessible and understandable to users. Finally, growth marketing is about acquiring and retaining customers through triggers, channels, messaging, and personalization.

One important thing to note is that these three domains are interconnected and changes in one domain will impact the others. For example, if the growth marketing strategy brings in new customers but fails to deliver the value promised by the brand, those customers will ultimately churn. This is why it is crucial for the growth marketing strategy and brand marketing strategy to be in lockstep. They need to work together to distribute the brand to potential or existing customers.

In order to successfully integrate these three domains, marketing teams need to sequence the changes in each domain to have a compounding impact. When teams are too siloed by domain, it becomes difficult to bring all the pieces together. By taking a holistic approach and ensuring that changes are made in the right order, marketing strategies become less brittle and more effective.

It is also important to recognize that changes in each domain happen over different time horizons. While growth marketing performance can be measured quickly, product and brand marketing take time to develop and their impact unfolds over years. This is why proactivity is essential. Marketing leaders need to monitor internal and external factors that can signal inflection points and trigger a need to revisit the strategy.

Now, let's shift gears and talk about cities and ambition. Great cities have a way of attracting ambitious people. Each city sends a different message to its residents and visitors. For example, New York tells you that you should make more money, while Silicon Valley sends the message that you should be more powerful. The message a city sends matters a lot because it can shape your ambitions and the people you surround yourself with.

Ambition is often incompatible, and admiration is a zero-sum game. This is why cities tend to focus on one type of ambition. Cambridge, for instance, is known as the intellectual capital because there's a concentration of smart people who care deeply about ideas. On the other hand, New York's main industry is finance, and Silicon Valley's is startups.

Living in a city that aligns with your ambitions is important because it provides an audience and a funnel for peers. While you can do great work anywhere, being in a great city can provide the support and encouragement you need to take your work to the next level. This is especially true when you're at the stage of finding peers and getting recognition for your work.

It's not always easy to determine what message a city sends without actually living there. Each city has its own unique culture and values. For example, Los Angeles is all about fame, while Washington D.C. emphasizes the importance of who you know. Paris, once a great intellectual center, now values doing things with style.

In conclusion, integrating the three domains of marketing is essential for success. Growth marketing, brand marketing, and product marketing all play a crucial role in creating a complete marketing strategy. Changes in one domain will impact the others, so it's important to sequence these changes and be proactive in monitoring internal and external factors.

Three actionable advice for marketing leaders:

1. Take a holistic approach and ensure that changes in each domain are aligned to have a compounding impact.
2. Foster collaboration and communication between teams working on different domains to avoid silos and create a more effective strategy.
3. Stay proactive and monitor internal and external factors that can trigger a need to revisit your strategy.

Remember, your location can have a significant impact on your ambitions and the people you surround yourself with. Consider living in different cities to find the one that aligns with your goals and provides the support and encouragement you need to succeed.