Is The Marketing Department Important To You? We Don’t Think So

It's alarming to see many Malaysian businesses like yours, treat marketing as an afterthought. You seem to believe you can just appoint anyone to lead their marketing efforts, regardless of their actual expertise. We've physically met with numerous "Heads of Marketing" or "Marketing Directors" who were simply transferred from other departments with no real understanding of marketing—let alone a marketing strategy. While it’s good to get views from an outsider, this one is completely a nutjob. 

Now, a true marketing strategist is a visionary person who can translate a business strategy into an effective marketing strategy. Then, transform that marketing strategy into a marketing plan with all necessary tactics and strategic activities. They understand the market, the target audience, the real problems, the purchasing journeys and how to address those and position the brand for success. They can also guide the team to execute the strategy effectively. Sadly, many companies seem to be okay with zero investment in marketing, relying solely on organic growth potentials and then blaming the marketing team when they don't see immediate results. This lack of marketing knowledge extends to talent as well, with many companies relying on interns or junior executives to make critical marketing decisions. 

A few weeks ago, we even encountered one company that had just a handful of junior people handling the entire marketing workload for seven different companies with diverse needs. This is a clear sign that marketing is undervalued and under-resourced—a clear sign that the management doesn’t feel that marketing is important at all. This approach ultimately hurts their own business. Without a strategic marketing plan, they waste resources, miss opportunities, and struggle to compete. It is clear that they only want to survive, that’s all. No real appetite to win the game. 

Is there a need for these businesses to wake up? We don’t think so. Let them be. Let them die peacefully. In 2025, we will see many of these businesses go obsolete and become irrelevant. The only survivors are those who have a winning mentality.

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