e-Brand Management
The difference between the cost of a company and the value of a company is directly correlated to the brand of the company. Therefore it makes sense to approach all value creation activities in the context of brand management.
The IT function might use this relationship to shake off its operational cost centre image.
So am I suggesting we appoint an IT function brand manager? No. In my experience CIOs struggle with branding. This is to some extent understandable given the siege conditions under which many IT functions operate. I suspect brand management doesn’t feature very highly in military academy trench warfare modules.
In a service / knowledge based economy, branding extends beyond the glossary literature and corporate sponsorship into the service creation and delivery processes (increasingly via the web). Thus the IT function is a key element of corporate brand management.
And for that reason the IT function should report into the Chief Marketing Officer. Whilst this may be unpalatable to many of today’s ‘pre-brand’ CIOs, IT staff are likely to raise their game once it dawns on them that their role is now one of business value creation rather than technology cost containment.
