Nice Kitty: How To Make Your Competition Chase Lasers

Adapting to shifting markets and technology quickly is not enough. Survival isn’t a viable business strategy.

In my experience, cats universally seem to find two things amusing: boxes and laser pointers.

A casual search of the hashtag #catsinboxes will prove my first point, but I think we can all agree that watching a cat chase a laser pointer’s light is even more entertaining. And that brings me to the subject of marketing and business disruption.

In today’s technology-driven world, many chief marketing officers might not realize they are the cat. They have a reactive, rather than proactive, mindset. They think adapting to shifting markets and technology quickly is enough, but it’s not. Survival isn’t a viable business strategy. The CMOs who thrive—and bring great success to their organizations—hold the lasers.

Stay A Step Ahead

The key to thriving in a volatile marketplace is embedded in the theory of disruptive innovation. It’s nothing new. The term was coined in the 1950s to describe the act of a small business overtaking an incumbent in a certain sector of the market. And it was seen in action long before then, when Henry Ford’s Model T overtook the horse and buggy as a viable, affordable means of transportation.

Large or established enterprises often focus on the needs of the majority (or the most profitable), patently ignoring a smaller subset of customers. Enter the startup, which goes after that smaller segment and begins the disruptive process. The incumbent company, still busy chasing the more profitable customers, tends not to respond very vigorously, enabling smaller companies to grow unchecked, until the mainstream population starts turning to them.

That’s when the market experiences true disruption.

It’s a given that for products and services to be considered disruptive, they must be unlike anything else out there and touch underserved market segments. Of course, it’s the CMO’s job to make sure the marketing materials reflect this.

But the concept of disruption goes beyond products and services themselves. CMOs also can be disruptive in their marketing techniques. Digital marketing strategies, virtual reality, webinars, and up-and-coming social media platforms all give CMOs multiple opportunities to create disruptive marketing campaigns that will make competitors take notice—and try to chase your laser.

Achieving this means structuring (or restructuring) your marketing department and other key departments in a way that facilitates innovation. Disruption requires changing the way we think; to go back to the cat analogy, it requires climbing out of the box!

Indeed, becoming disruptive requires a company culture that’s comfortable taking calculated risks. The marketing department should set an example for how to be agile, make decisions quickly and effectively, and stand for a shared vision. Your people should be innovative and flexible. Technology is great, but nothing matches the moxie of bright, emotionally intelligent people.

Are you ready to be a disrupter? Lead the way in digital transformation by focusing on innovation while your competition is defending the status quo—but do it with a discerning eye. Innovators stand to gain from successful disruptions, but followers are more likely to reap steady returns. Though Henry Ford disrupted the marketplace, car manufacturers after him profited with far less risk. Know when it’s best to invest in that new digital marketing strategy, and when it’s better to rely on a proven platform for a steady return on your investment.

You can’t be a disrupter in all areas of the market, so know when to take a risk and when to let go. Base your decision on timing, current market trends, scope, and your department’s ability to move as fast as necessary. When you attend to all these facets successfully, you’ll find that you’re the one with the laser—and your competition will be the cat.