When I started out in this great Marketing profession of ours, I was told to treat every problem as an opportunity.
Well, if recent events are anything to go by, Brexit has to be seen as the mother of all opportunities!
Falling stock markets, a fractious and divided electorate, antipathy from our European neighbours and threats of devolution in Scotland have all combined into a perfect storm which no-one seems to have seen coming and which our leaders seem unwilling or unable to address.
In terms of the Brexit camp “be careful what you wish for” comes to mind, and for the Remainers “Never assume.”
One of the major themes has been the need for Business to have “certainty.”
Time and again, business leaders have said business needs certainty in order to thrive any yet, it there is one thing certain in business, it is that there is no such thing as certainty.
Porter told us in his “five forces” model that business life is dynamic, with threats from new technology, new entrants, substitute products and the changing dynamics of buyer and supplier power.
If there was certainty, we wouldn’t need a marketing strategy
In the post-brexit world, the UK will need to get back to what made it successful from the 19th century on – making and selling goods and services the world needs.
To do that, we need strong, intelligent marketing leadership where understanding and retaining good customer relationships, analysing markets and spotting opportunities and developing competitive products will become paramount.
For too long we have focussed on the EU not only as a market, but as a business environment which sought to make decisions for its members within a set framework.
It’s time for us to reach out to world markets and make our own success by doing what we do best – defining marketing strategy, building strong brands and attracting and keeping customers.
Yes, it really is the mother of all opportunities.
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