The One Thing: Evolving Modern Craft’s Focus
(by John Ounpuu, Partner)
“All of this is great, but what’s the one thing you’re best in the world at?”
The person asking the question was one of our best and oldest clients, now ensconced in the corner office that came with her new role as CMO.
The context was a “tables turned” interview. Instead of talking about her brand I was asking her what she thought of ours.
As for her question. Well, I’ll admit, I didn’t have a ready answer.
The Original Impulse
We started Modern Craft in 2014 with a focus on strategy. Agnostic and holistic strategy to help marketing leaders to connect all of their teams, tech and channels in service of something bigger — a clear north star.
Our goal was to create an anchor of focus and clarity for CMOs facing pressure to move faster and modernize. And, in the process, to steer our industry away from bright shiny nonsense and towards greater impact and happier customers.
As time went on, this work pulled us in different directions. We followed our clients’ problems deeper inside the organization — digging into the department’s inner workings. And we went wider, too, into every conceivable corner of the marketing world, and beyond.
The work was exciting. The challenges were interesting. Our team were up for it. Our clients were happy. But as time went on it became harder to hang onto a clear point of focus and tell our story simply and succinctly.
Which is why the “one thing” question really hit home.
Soul Searching
So we started talking about where we were going. About where we could have the most impact. And what the next step in our evolution should look like.
Here’s some of what we considered:
- All of us had believed, for years, that strategy is only as good as your ability to turn it into operational reality. That strategy and ops are really two sides of the same coin. Inseparable.
- This belief had lead us to recruit a new partner and task him with building out our operational consulting chops.
- That side of our business had been growing steadily. This work — from full team re-orgs to process design and agile marketing roll-outs — was creating happy clients and leading to referrals.
- Bigger picture, we’d noticed brands focusing more energy and resources on the internal workings of the marketing department (in-housing, adopting agile methods, capability building, tech investments etc.).
- Research from respectable sources was pointing to rising interest in taking marketing operations to the next level.
As we connected these dots, a clear picture emerged. An opportunity to do something both focused and meaningful. An image of what the next stage in our evolution could look like. Of a potential answer to that “one thing” question.
One Sunday afternoon, we decided to make the leap.
Our New Focus
We’re here to help brands supercharge marketing operations.
This our point of focus. The one thing we believe we can do better than anyone. Here’s why we feel good making that claim:
- We understand strategy deeply (and operations reflect and enable strategy).
- We’re pragmatic. Innately so, despite our idealistic beliefs.
- We understand the full marketing picture — across functional silos.
- We focus on humans and human dynamics more than tech and tactics.
- We have experience across the multiple domains of marketing ops (see chart below).
- We’ve been doing this work successfully for years now for a long list of clients including Hootsuite, Destination Canada and Teach For America.
- We don’t see anyone else focusing here with the same strategic mindset.
What, Exactly, Do We Mean By “Marketing Operations”?
The borders around this function are shifting and expanding. This diagram shows our view of, generally, what should be considered.
Our New Mission
Beyond our own work with clients lies a larger mission. We will strive to act as a catalyst — spurring the advancement of operational maturity in marketing departments across North America.
We believe the engine driving this advancement will have three components:
1/ A more strategic mindset
The marketing world at large will come to recognize that strategy and operations are inseparable. That operations must be tailored to fit the strategy and bring it to life. And strategies must be developed with a view towards operational feasibility.
2/ More impactful practices
Practices and methods related to improving marketing operations with a strategic mindset will advance in sophistication, impact and adoption. This is not about technology. It’s about how technology and other tools and methods are used in practice.
3/ A more vibrant community
More and more marketing leaders and practitioners will give deeper consideration to the operational dimension of marketing — learning about, talking about and applying a strategic mindset and impactful practices in their organization.
Fresh Energy
This shift is more of an evolution than a revolution. More of a progression than a full pivot. But we thought it was substantial enough to merit a bit of backstory.
Honestly, it’s also pretty damn exciting.
Already, our renewed sense of focus has given us a noticeable jolt of momentum and clarity. I can feel its power in every conversation. Every debate. Every decision.
I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
And wherever that is, I hope to see you there.
