The classic tasks of functional strategies are, on the one hand, to support the achievement
of company and
business objectives with a professional toolkit, and on the other hand, to guide and
coordinate the tools, actors, and
stakeholders of the functional area. At first level, this study examines what effects
and trends those working in the
marketing and communication functional area could be identified in today's highly
variable natural, economic, and
social (more precisely consumer) environment and how all these affect the company's
target system, the periodic goals
of the functional area, and its activity and device system. The investigation fits
into a series of research that is carried
out regularly for years on, which the Hungarian Marketing Association (HMA) conducts
by interviewing marketing
and communication decision-makers representing domestic and international brands among
its members of large
corporation level. At the beginning of each calendar year, for the seventh year now,
the professional organization
assesses what defining trends the professional decision-makers experience in their
field, based on which they update
and fine-tune their functional strategy. The research is usually conducted with the
help of a discussion group
methodology based on a cognitive approach. In January of this year, a total of 12
marketing and communication
organizational leaders discussed their opinions on the topic, along a pre-compiled
guideline, which primarily aimed to
identify and clarify the defining functional strategic trends of the Hungarian market.
The participants represented the
FMCG, gaming, telecommunication, retail, banking, and service markets, while half
of them represented global
market players operating in Hungary. The guideline was based on an extensive, current
literature review and a
preliminary gathering of trends. Based on the discussion, the following five focus
areas were determined, which
strongly effect the current strategic direction of marketing and communication functions:
value-based business
decisions, the priority role of inshore or offshore services, the responsible construction
and management of data assets,
the role of creativity in day-by-day solutions at different levels, and finally the
stability of the company and brands. In
addition to this, the decision-makers emphasized the strategic function of marketing,
since the power of brand value
and mental availability play an even more important role than before when consumers
decide which products are
included in and out of customer basket of offline or online channels. In addition
to their immediate practical
applicability, the results can also form the basis of further, more extensive, quantitative
research, as well.
