Some time ago we talked about those moments when a CMO is in a bit of a hole and needs to get out of it, preferably unscathed. The scenarios that we see every day on the Creative Services Exchange as our approach works so well when things need doing differently, quickly, cost-effectively, with a new outcome, or a combination of all of those.

It prompted us to create our no alternative videos so that week-by-week we could describe a simple way to deal with whatever issue the world of marketing, or the business pressure exerted on the world of marketing, throws at you.

As we near the end of the series (and you’re going to have to wait til the Friday launches to discover the last two topics) I thought it would be fun to see how those scenarios we’ve described have translated into the projects that come into the Exchange daily. And how the combination of our expert creatives, ground-breaking technology and the expertise of our brief managers have created a perfect way to take the heat off even the most harassed marketing head.

Our latest video – discovery talked about how to take your product, service or brand to a new region. It’s a common marketing question – and one that we see asked a lot. Most recently it was a large software company wanting to promote through social media channels in a different region from its American HQ – message creation and delivery to reflect a different area of Europe.

We had a perfect example of a leading player in leisure who’d suffered the agency ‘betrayal’ – and briefed the Exchange to get some new ideas and campaigns quickly off the ground.

A financial services business that came to the Exchange for some fresh ideas to deliver a product to a new audience.

A PR agency that needed an ad for its award-winning client, but everyone in their usual creative business was on holiday.

We could go on, but I’m sure you’re getting the no alternative message. And of course the message that has resonated with everyone is ‘squeeze’ - and we’re now seeing people coming back knowing that their budget is now going that bit further by using the Exchange. So the squeeze has resulted in better marketing – the classic more for less.

This week we launched the latest version of our trading platform so that Exchange customers have a single, online account to manage existing briefs, collaborate on projects in development and brief new campaigns. In a world where data is leading even the most traditional marketer, the information on this dashboard is going to provide you with more insight into your marketing progress. And in time there’ll be even more valuable information so that you know the latest trends, where you should focus and, in these worrying economic times, how much you should be spending.

It’s also a perfect time to take one last look at those budget figures. And pose yourself the question – what could I do with my budgets if I could actually get 30% more out of them. Because that’s what is available to you when you brief the Exchange.

This post may seem slightly retrospective, but it’s really about  your future. Use what we’ve learnt from other CMOS and find out how you can move your marketing and your business forward. There is no alternative. Brief the Exchange now!

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