Ready. Fire. Aim.

It's that time of year again....early August, the dwindling of the summer and the near onset of school for your kids.  It's also probably the post-mid year review and you are either behind pace or you now realize that the 2nd half of the year is a month plus over!

Unfortunately, we still see many organizations with a "Ready. Fire. Aim" philosophy.  The forget that all important planning step...in the hurried frenzy of getting things launched.

Now is certainly the time to launch new initiatives and promote your business.  P&G, the world's largest consumer goods company recently invested an UNPRECEDENTED level of marketing into their organization and customer.  P&G has always been strong investors in marketing, but the most recent quarter and month end was a sign of good things for all marketers.

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- Procter & Gamble Co. boosted ad spending by $1 billion in the just-closed fiscal year, about $750 million of that in the fourth quarter alone, which helped the consumer-goods behemoth return to share and sales growth.

It was their largest investment in marketing EVER... that should light the fire in your organization, too.  The fact that the world's largest consumer goods company sees light at the end of the tunnel and has made the realization that NOW is the time to invest in marketing.  And you can see from their press release...it positively impacted their share and sales growth!!

However, we need to also realize that they did their homework (the AIM part of the equation) before they invested their marketing dollars.  That is where the planning comes into play.  With an articulated, targeted, and supportable marketing plan (for a product, new branch, or business line) the investment can be supported and will also have a much higher ROI!

So, three key take-aways for you and your organization:

1. Now is the time to invest in marketing
2. Be planned and focused, but be swift and purposeful in your planning
3. Measure your ROI and promote the results

These three steps will lead to a very productive 2nd half of 2010 and help lead your organization forward!

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp