I just returned from three days in Alberta where I attended the Alberta Tobacco Stakeholder’s Workshop. This was a two day conference where various stakeholders, all having an interest in smoking cessation in the Province of Alberta got together to plan and share best practices.
As a supplier of marketing services to this group, I found it interesting and beneficial. It showed me the direction that Alberta will be taking over the next 10 years and gave me tools to help them achieve their goals.
What this got me thinking about is how few companies today allow themselves to think long term. In many companies, goals and plans are set by quarter and strategy is rarely planned out further than a year at a time. . . if you are lucky. We all know that the world is changing fast and furious and that the key thing that you need to be is adaptable in order to succeed. This should not be an excuse however, for not thinking and planning for the long term success of a brand. Those companies who look at long term objectives alongside their short term marketing plans tend to survive better the ebbes and tides of economic trends.
By setting long term objectives for a brand, it allows you to have benchmarks to measure against as you develop short term marketing strategies. Think of the long term objectives as the anchor in the storm. Having that anchor as a steadying factor allows you to determine whether your short term goals are in line with your long term objectives.
As always, we are here to Get YOU Noticed! Let us work with you to help build your long term success.
