Has Merlin abolished marketing? It’s all part of a trend..
Are CMOs an endangered species? Chief marketing officers, as they’ve become since being marketing directors, appear, at the very least, to be enjoying a much shorter lifespan. Big American companies are reported to hiring them on trial, which doesn’t suggest a particularly strong commitment to the marketing function.
Marketing rose to the top in the baby boomer period after World War 11 as a booming post-war US economy produced the firepower to power big companies and big brands to world domination. The bosses who succeeded were those who helped to create new markets or won bigger share from their rivals. The finance director (or whatever he or, less likely, she was called really was the chief bean counter.)
Marketing directors would be on the main board, the creative agency would be a key adviser. BBH’s Nigel Bogle sat on the board of Levi’s for a spell. These days, although they may have a C-suite title, few marketing supremos rise so high. Sainsbury’s is one of the few UK exceptions.
One who has put a lasting stamp on a UK business is Craig Inglis (left) at John Lewis, whose work with adam&eve and then adam&eveDDB probably represents the high watermark of UK creative advertising, ads that made a difference and, as hopeful chief stratey officers still keep saying, entered ‘culture.’
Inglis reappeared at Merlin Entertainments where he has just conducted an agency review that saw A&E appointed to the global account, ahead of Ace of Hearts, the agency formed by former A&E stalwarts Richard Brim and Martin Beverley. Now his role, latterly chief customer officer, is to be axed.
Merlin says: “As part of its ongoing transformation programme and to support its future growth ambitions, Merlin Entertainments has reviewed its leadership structure and is removing the chief customer officer role. As a result, Craig Inglis, chief customer officer, is stepping down from his role at the end of October.”
This is corporate BS of the highest order: you don’t assist “transformation,” the more so growth ambitions, by axing the guy and the role in charge of it with, seemingly, no idea what to do next.
Has there been a row? Did Inglis want to appoint Ace of Hearts, as some industry insiders believe? Who is going to look after Merlin’s customers now?
It’s a funny old business but, as outlined above, part of a trend that’s seen marketing slide rapidly down the corporate value chain.
Maybe you don’t need marketing when all you do is hand over money to the likes of Facebook, Google and Instagram.
