"This is a game of wits and will. You've got to be learning and adapting constantly to survive." -- Gen. P.J. Schoonmaker, U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Handbook
On and off the battlefield, the range and depth of influence a powerful idea can have when it inspires people -- especially those with a smartphone -- underscores a paradigm shift in the way organizations come into being, make themselves known, and shape understanding.
In the past, military innovation has produced technology later adapted for mass consumption. Over the last 10 years, as technology has become "global, social, ubiquitous, and cheap," social media enabled insurgent groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan to attain the kind of political impact and battlefield awareness that makes heavy reliance on combat solutions impracticable. This has, in turn, profoundly changed how the military is approaching the battlefield.
So today, in a tidy bit of symmetry, the benefit of military innovation comes in the form of an idea and a social approach to technology that can ultimately guide how non-military organizations establish and maintain understanding and relevancy with their audiences.
As if to make this point, the March/April 2010 issue of Foreign Policy (FP) is dedicated to the subject of war, a first for FP. The magazine's cover image and title tell a huge story, perhaps better than anything contained in the articles themselves. The cover depicts the Apple iPhone decked out in desert camouflage and displaying fictional applications only a warrior could love -- but that maybe a marketer could also use. (I'd sure like to try out that "Hearts and Minds" app.) Here, one of the world's most adored brands meets up with desert warfare and social media.
John Arquilla, the guy who developed the theory of "netwar" in the '90s while at RAND, sets up his conclusion to Foreign Policy's lead story with the statement below. When read as an analogy to brand management, the ominous words provide a wake-up call:
"...if the radical adjustments in strategy, organization, and doctrine implied by the new rules of war [social media] are ignored, Americans [organizations] will go on spending more and getting less when it comes to national defense [brand awareness and protection]."
Social media has become like a chemical accelerant for building ad hoc communities. Be it fundamentalist radicalism, sanctioned political candidacy, a common social cause, brand devotion, or support of an indie band, there is a growing level of communications-based connectivity -- and also volatility. Every action or statement becomes a media opportunity. War-fighters patrol remote urban centers in foreign lands, keenly aware that their actions may be captured by cellphone cameras and distributed on YouTube, then seen by people around the world. Brands face similar challenges in their own "civilian" contexts.
For organizations that make long-term strategic investments in people and products, there is a tremendous amount of stakeholder equity at risk. These are the days of finesse, ideology, and leadership that demand a nuanced approach and a dynamic response. COIN (or counterinsurgency) operations provide some useful direction here for all brands and marketers:
- Legitimacy is the main objective. Be relevant, demonstrate cultural sensitivity.
- Unity of effort is essential. Organizational synergy and a genuine ability to learn, share knowledge, and adapt is vital.
- Political factors are primary. Just as aspects of military action are inseparable from political ones, business objectives are ultimately inseparable from a brand.
- Understand the environment. Ideologies and narratives will only resonate with target groups if there is real social understanding (the hearts-and-minds factor).
- Intelligence drives operations. Leverage the cycle that develops between action and the intelligence it produces.
- Learn and adapt. Capture lessons learned, disseminate knowledge, and adjust strategy in a unified way.
- Empower the lowest levels. Define success, not the means to it, and empower your mission commanders (or marketing managers) -- those who have the best grasp of their situations -- to achieve success.
A keen sense of organizational purpose is at the core of all of these. As recent Forrester research (U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009 to 2014) indicates, over the next five years advertising budgets will decline, while interactive marketing budgets will grow substantially. It also states that organizations must broaden and deepen their ability to support networked communications.
The days of brand messages being pushed out by "command and control" oriented marcom groups are vanishing. Organizational purpose, the thing that drives sustainable advantage and a common thread of COIN dynamics, will be the primary factor in whether or not that investment will bear out a return.
As organizations step into the future, they face a landscape that requires a strategic approach to cultural change, administrative challenges, geographical distance, and economic cross currents. While the challenges of social media grow, so too do the opportunities. Organizations that are prepared to succeed in the achievement of their purpose will reap the rewards of a deeply engaged consumer base.
Evan Molho is an account director at Siegel+Gale.
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