I’ve been giving a lot of thought over the years to how Marketing can have much greater impact in an enterprise’s success than is often the case in reality. As we’ve all experienced, all too often organizations cut off the funding from Marketing before the golden goose can hatch its full supply of golden eggs.

Recently, I’ve been setting up a dedicated website for my Marketing Operations Evangelists group. Tonight, I’ve been writing the home page content, which involves trying to convey the vision of Marketing Operations (MO) and the common mission of the community of MO evangelists.

While in this creative process, it struck me that there might be an acronym that captures how Marketing Operations transforms Marketing (changes its MO) into a fully accountable business, an enterprise growth driver and a facilitator of change.

The word “INDISPENSABLE” popped into my mind. This seemed like a good word to work with because it describes how Marketing wants to be seen and treated in organizations.

So using INDISPENSABLE as the foundation, I built the following acronym-basedmodel to describe how Marketing Operations positions Marketing as an indispensable organizational asset:

Integrated
Nimble
Data-driven
Innovative
Strategic
Profitable
Efficient
Nurturing
Scalable
Accountable
Boundless
Lasting
Effective

I haven’t completed the work yet, but it wouldn’t take too great an effort to prepare short elaborating descriptions on how each of the above attributes can contribute to MO taking Marketing to a new level of value and impact.

I think, if embraced, a model like INDISPENSABLE could be a rallying cry and a mobilizing device for the evolving discipline of Marketing Operations.

Or do you think I’m just laying a rotten egg?

Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments. A blog without comments is like a month in isolation. I’m looking for two-waydialogue, not another conversation with myself.

by Gary M. Katz, Founder and Chairman at Marketing Operations Partners