So much has changed in the field of consumer marketing. It can be simple to chase the new and get rid of the old during transition periods, let alone during an entire landscape of change.
That being said, just because something seems easy doesn’t imply it’s right, and there are still practices and principles that have lasting significance and worth even when everything seems to have changed.
In today’s world, however, marketers face a challenge: deciding when to abandon legacy practices and when not to, a task made considerably more difficult by the fact that, like Diana Haussling at Colgate-Palmolive, you assist in managing a portfolio of consumer goods brands within a business that’s over 200 years old.
Finding the ideal balance between what was, what is, and what should be makes the difference between growing and not growing when this portfolio includes household names and household products like Colgate, Irish Spring, and Tom’s of Maine. “There has been a traditional way that we’ve operated, especially in CPG,” Haussling said in an interview with Forbes. “But the world has changed around us.” The status quo cannot simply be destroyed; instead, its foundations must be strengthened.
Haussling is one of the marketing professionals acknowledged on the Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50 list for 2024 because of her approach and her strategic focus on what she terms as marketing rooted in the “tried and true plus the new.”
Haussling and other senior executives in North America have known since their 2021 arrival that the company’s current organisational structure was more appropriate for the marketing of the past than the present.
Haussling posed two questions that marked the beginning of the structural shift from what they were to what they are now: “How do we start to build marketers that are fit for what’s next? How do we unlock and make sure the voices of subject matter experts are heard, and executed against?”
Building a future-ready team
“What’s next” for her meant, among other things, taking a close look at the past as well as the future, figuring out how to make the most of the marketing function that already existed, incorporating new technologies, and rearranging reporting structures to build creative teams that would, in her words, “allow us to remain brand-relevant for the next 200 years.”
As a consequence, the organisation created the Customer Experience and Growth function, which brought together the conventional but frequently divided marketing functions under one roof, fostering autonomy and flexibility and ensuring the opinions of real subject matter experts were taken seriously.
To achieve these goals and work within this framework, Haussling established what she refers to as “roundtables,” which are cross-functional problem-solving meetings connecting frequently disparate and disjointed media and creative teams with the scientists who are developing and enhancing the business’s products. This approach is far more akin to a start-up mentality than a legacy one.
Regardless of experience level or seniority, anyone can participate in these roundtables and exchange views. By doing this, the company’s growth plan is opened to concepts that could not have come to light otherwise thanks to queries, ideas, and thoughts free from preconceived notions—what some have dubbed “intelligent naivete.”
For example, Haussling is introducing new approaches to expanding its brand portfolio in response to scientific discoveries about the relationship between dental health and physical well-being. Bright Smiles, Bright Futures is a program the company has been running since 1991. It is one of the innovative initiatives made possible by Haussling’s “roundtable” method, which fosters collaboration between scientists, data, and brand teams.
Colgate-Palmolive is creating the framework for kids to invest in their dental health with this program, which includes instructional materials, scholarships, and creativity for the brands.
Developing past the prototype in marketing
The divisions that existed under Colgate-Palmolive’s prior marketing structure meant that campaigns like this wouldn’t have always been taken into consideration. Progress was driven by transformation and disruption. The way Haussling’s team is set up now allows for greater innovation than the conventional marketing playbook.
It allows them to evolve, adapt, and synthesise inputs in novel ways. “I think for the industry as a whole, we’ve become very dependent on textbooks to tell us what to do. We have to break the prototype a little bit.”
Why? Well, Haussling argues that for a brand to have a lasting impact, it must continuously reinvent itself while adhering to the core values that make it relevant to a changing consumer base. Furthermore, managing a marketing department nowadays is similar to conducting an orchestra in that it’s crucial for all the separate elements to play in unison.
“I get to work with people who are much smarter and much more in the know about their specific areas of expertise than I am. I get to be the conductor that brings them all together and makes that beautiful music.”
And why? Because, in Haussling’s opinion, “you have to constantly reinvent yourself while staying true to what makes your brands relevant to an evolving consumer base” if you want to have staying power. Additionally, she believes that managing a marketing department in the modern era is similar to managing an orchestra in that it is crucial for all the sections to play in unison.
She went on to say, “I get to work with people who are much smarter and much more in the know about their specific areas of expertise than I am. I get to be the conductor that brings them all together and makes that beautiful music.”
The company’s shares were up more than 13% annually as of April 10.
(Tashia Bernardus)