Woodward’s third book on President Bush spends considerable time discussing the administration's management of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. One of the key players Woodward profiles is Robert D. Blackwill.
In the late summer of 2003, Condoleeza Rice, then National Security Advisor, sought an individual to add to the National Security Council (NSC) staff who would step in and manage post-invasion plans more directly. She brought in Blackwill, her former boss at the NSC during George H. W. Bush’s administration.
Blackwill, a 22-year veteran of the Foreign Service, had worked in the upper reaches of the State Department, including a stint as an aide to Henry Kissinger. Furthermore, he had taught strategy at Harvard. This latter expertise, and his belief in the fundamental importance of strategic thinking, caused him some distress while serving in his new NSC role. The crux of the problem is described in the following excerpt from State of Denial:
“It was clear to Blackwill that things weren’t going well. For over a year he had been baffled there was no military strategy. Again and again, Bush talked about Iraq strategy in his campaign speeches, but never gave specifics. He talked about goals, expressed his optimism and determination, and gave pep talks....Strategy involves a series of actions to achieve a goal and entails answering questions such as: What is going to be done? By whom? When? Where? How? The president, whom Blackwill liked and respected as a political leader, instead talked about winning and goals. But as Blackwill taught in his class, ’Aspirations aren't strategy.’ The administration had no real strategy, he concluded.” (State of Denial, p. 336)
Whether or not you are a Bush supporter or backed the invasion itself, all chief marketing officers (CMOs), vice presidents of marketing and directors of marketing should seriously consider Blackwill’s observation. Why? Because too often what passes as marketing strategy development are merely aspirations: increase brand awareness, enhance the brand experience, boost leads, improve conversion rates, etc. These are objectives, but they are not a marketing strategy. A successful strategy requires a carefully conceived series of actions designed to accomplish a narrowly defined objective, not feel-good goals tied to a hodge-podge approach, with fingers crossed hoping that at least some of the tactics tried will produce something that might broadly be categorized as a positive outcome.
Too frequently, those in charge of marketing do not pose the questions Blackwill identifies as essential to develop sound strategy. And yet these same marketers read publications like Advertising Age, B-to-B, and Fast Company, and are aghast at stories about the short tenures of CMOs. They’re irritated by the increasing demand for return on investment (ROI). They shouldn't be.
A company’s marketing and advertising efforts are no longer as simple as a 30- second spot coupled with the right media buy. Today, the professional marketer’s task is nearly as complex as that given to Blackwill in Iraq. And like Blackwill, we strongly believe that serious attention must be focused on strategy — real strategy. A series of well-defined actions that will be taken to achieve a well-defined, measurable goal. Blackwill’s questions must be asked and answered. Not to do so is to lead your organization into a state of marketing denial.
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