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Brands that have invested in their long-term health during the pandemic will thrive, but marketers need to better link the case for investment to business results if they are to secure funds, says Margaret Jobling, CMO of NatWest Group.

The companies that have invested in building their brands and the relevance of their products will emerge stronger from the pandemic, according to Margaret Jobling, CMO of the NatWest Group.

Speaking at a recent panel hosted by marketing consultancy Oystercatchers, Jobling said the key to growth in 2021 was clear, saying the case for investing in brands during the economic downturn was clear. Effectiveness group leader at Adam & EveDDB Les Binet and effectiveness expert Peter Field are among those who warned brands about going dark. However, the budget is only made available when reporting the business results of an investment in Marcomms.

“The brands that invest and are relevant will come out stronger. The question is, how do we make plans that will enable us to do this? And find the right balance between the short and long term? ‘All evidence is that you are investing in the long term, investing in building the brand, and your short term work is actually tougher. So the tension for me internally is always that we have to think about delivering for today but investing for tomorrow. That is the conversation in the boardroom, ”explains Jobling.

“If you can articulate the pound result, it’s an easy conversation, but without that measurement you will really have problems and that has been my experience in my career.”

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This skill is necessary not only to secure brand investments, but also to ensure the credibility of marketing and marketers.

“As a marketer, you are in trouble if you can’t speak the company’s language and articulate where the money you’re spending is going to be because you’re the color department in the corner and that view is still alive in a lot of businesses,” says a lot of businesses she.

Marketers need to be flexible in the current environment, Jobling added, but it remains important to be clear about what your goal is and focus on delivering it.

“You have to be a lot more foot fleet. Gone are the days of having and sticking to a 12 month plan. You can have any intention of what your outcome needs to be, but you need to be involved in changes in the dynamics and be ready to quickly turn around news. This is because you stay very close to the market deals and have the flexibility in terms of your expenses and can quickly switch between channels, ”advises Jobling.

“But always have this north star. What do we stand for and what do we want to go about? How do we keep investing in that and make sure everything you do serves it? It’s very simple, we love shiny new toys, but actually you have to be really clear about what you stand for. Then you should carry out your plans by implementing and reinforcing this. “