The first week of the new year, with all its resolutions and leaf-turning, is as good a time as any to pause, take a few deep breaths and ask the question, “Why?”
Nowhere is this question more pressing than in the minds of marketing and communication professionals, who feel the glut of information and wrestle with the resulting information chaos daily. Few books are more instructive on this issue than Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” and “Technopoly.” As I have done annually for the past few years, I hunkered down during the winter break to revisit these treatises — to better understand the challenges of leading a marketing and communication team at a fast-paced organization today, as well as consider a solution or two to the madness.
Two decades ago, when I worked at a business school in Texas, 80% of our advertising spend was allocated to traditional channels. This included billboards on roadsides and in airports, spots on local radio stations and print ads in business and higher ed publications, as well as local and regional newspapers. Only about 20% of our ad spend was placed in digital channels, such as online search and banner display. Today, at another higher ed institution, the allocation of my team’s ad budget has more than flipped, with 85%-90% of those dollars invested in digital platforms. These dramatic changes are symptomatic of larger technological forces at work that have come to dominate marketing and communication, as well as reshape American culture and our public discourse.
This breathtaking and relatively quick transition from the print to the digital world — along with its attendant pros and cons and shifting ideological biases — is at the crux of Postman’s examination. One of his conclusions is that the proliferation of communication platforms, driven by technological advances and almost exclusively electronic in nature, has rendered humans’ information immune system inoperable. Our ability to discern fact from fiction, credible source from conspiracy theorists and valid study results from snake oil has failed to keep pace with our ability to generate, mix and match, and ultimately distribute information to the four corners of the world with the point and click of a mouse.
And so, marketing and communication teams face a common dilemma. How do we pause long enough to ask the question, “Why?” When internal clients are demanding more coverage and visibility. When competitors down the block and across the globe are stuffing as much information into as many platforms as possible. And when end-customers are inundated with more pithy taglines and provocative images than they could possibly digest, much less make sense of and intelligently act upon. “Why should we create this communication, marketing piece or advertisement?”
While there are no shrink-wrapped solutions to this problem, I recommend several New Year’s resolutions for marketing and communication colleagues to improve the quality of work, work-life and results — for ourselves, along with our organizations and customers.
First, be sure to align your marketing and communication goals with the strategic priorities of your organization, as defined in strategic plans or other official planning documents. There should be a clear connection between everything your team does and these larger priorities. Second, ensure that your marketing and communication teammates and internal clients understand these overarching priorities as well as your more specific team goals. Third, refine the request and planning process with internal clients so that together, you can satisfactorily answer the question, “Why should we do this?” upfront; then, focus your time and energy on those select activities that will move the needle on your clients’ objectives as well as your organization’s larger priorities. (This step could entail saying “no” to your internal clients more than you have in the past, or at least suggesting alternative approaches, and this will require the support of senior leadership.) Finally, develop a reporting tool or dashboard that holds your team accountable for the commitments you make to advance your organization’s strategic priorities. And be prepared to periodically update your leadership team and the broader organization on your progress.
Short of pulling the plug on emails and the internet, these four steps have the potential to make 2026 a happier year for all of us.
David E. Perryman, Ph.D., is a marketing and communication leader with 30 years of professional experience working in corporate and higher ed, including EDS and USAA, as well as Appalachian State University, Radford University, SMU, Texas A&M University and UT Health San Antonio.