THE MODERN MARKETING

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Jascha Kaykas-Wolf
jascha@kaykas.com
marketingiteration.com
@kaykas

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN FOR MODERN MARKETERS

Organizational design and restructuring is not new. But, with the requirement to
create data-driven marketing organizations and support marketers who show
bottom line results more emphasis is being placed on marketing leaders to
structure their teams and business in a way that is agile and impactful.
Reflecting on this, and doing some additional research of my own, I was struck
by the lack of published material describing how one might go about building a
marketing organization that addresses business challenges happening right now
and most importantly that can drive results right now.
Over the past several years as Ive been fortunate to lead marketing
organizations for enterprise and mid-market businesses. During this time Ive
developed an organizational playbook that can scale to virtually any size of
business, is highly adaptable, and has a proven track record for success.
Enclosed is the core framework for what I believe is an ideal composition for the
modern marketing organization. Im looking forward to your feedback. - Jascha

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN FOR MODERN MARKETERS

Sections:
1. Marketings Role
1. Departments and matrixed interactions
2. Engagement Philosophy
3. Operating Systems
4. Structure & Roles
1. Product Marketing
2. Marketing Operations & Technology
3. Field / Demand Gen
4. Content & Communications
5. Creative

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

MARKETINGS ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION

Objectives

Align Product & Marketing To Develop & Maintain A Consistent Go-ToMarket Program

Create Sales & Marketing Alignment Against Pipeline, Bookings &

Revenue Contribution

Develop & Maintain A Best-In-Class Relationship With Technology &

Delivery
Be The First And Best Customer

Build An Industry & Discipline Thought Leadership Practice

Be A Best-In-Class Example Content Marketing Organization (Owned,
Earned, Paid)
Develop And Maintain Strategic Go-To-Market Partnerships

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

MARKETINGS ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION

Critical Touch Points
Product marketing turns key themes and customer needs
into actionable sales materials and field marketing campaigns.

Corporate marketing is the horizontal

services layer that intersects with every
organization across the company developing
consistency in visual and written language &
centers of excellence.

Technology and product collaborate on

backlog and prioritization.

Corporate Marketing

Product
Marketing
Sales

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

Field Marketing

Product
Technology

Marketing Operations

Alignment on key objectives and targets and a

dependence on data drives closer alignment.

Product marketing and product collaborate on core

pain points, buying targets and user personas to further Marketing operations provides consistent
develop products customers need and the business can data connecting suspects to users from field
marketing to product and technology.
best utilize.
@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Operational Philosophy

Operate Like Consultants

With Product, Field Marketing & Sales on messaging and GTM strategies
With Product and Sales on Social Engagement
Campaigns: Consult to provide strategic input, review, guidance for field
based campaigns with Global PR teams and field marketing
Engagement in strategy development, wireframe review, creative review
Execution done by Regional PR or Field Marketing Teams

Execute Like Scientists

All US Product GTMs: Drive US execution of product, services, partner
campaigns
PR/AR: Execute campaign strategy and tactics for priority campaigns in
partnership with Product, Services, or Partner SMEs
Transparent access to Marketing (and business) data across the organization

Enable
The
Corporation
Content editorial calendar is developed utilizing resources across the entire

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

company
Social engagement training and best practices driven from Corp Marketing
US Online Campaign Playbook: enable broad usage of Agile Marketing
techniques through the resources in the playbook, continually updated with new
content
@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Operational System

Agile: Its not just product development anymore

Businesses tend to think their major constraint is resources,
when in reality its process. And the process constraint modern
businesses need to over come hierarchy is agile. Agile is a
process designed to achieve difficult and rewarding
innovations by priority, not by stockpiling resources. Agile is
the process of full value thinking, not marginal thinking.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

Marginal Thinking vs. Full Value Thinking :

http://blog.mindjet.com/2013/04/agile-marketing-series-marginal-thinking-vs-full-value-thinking/

Agile

Marketing Case Study:

http://www.slideshare.net/kaykas/agile-marketing-jess3-mindjet-case-study-between-the-minds
@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure:
Overall
Product Marketing Excellence Drives Close
Alignment Between Product & Sales specifically through
Field Marketing

Messaging and value proposition system

Product Bill-Of-Materials
Sales enablement

Marketing Operations Excellence Drives Close

Alignment with Technology & Sales with processes
mirroring IT & Product and the use of analytics to
support more efficient selling and marketing
Key Ownership Areas:

Sales & Marketing Funnel Management

Analytics
Project management for digital projects
Content & Communications Excellence Creates
alignment and focus across the company for
content creation and purposeful use of the content
to support the business.
Key Ownership Areas:

Company content calendar

Buying journey stages
Product and company launch communications

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

Marketing
Operations

Creative

Key Ownership Areas:

Content &
Communication
s

Product
Marketing

Ownership

Brand
Design
Brand Writing

Reporting
Analytics/Data
Testing
Website

Brand
Design
Brand Writing

Example Tasks

Website Design/Copy
Email Design/Copy
Physical Collateral

M.A.P. / SFDC
Administrator
Web Developers
Project
Management
Data Scientist
Sales & Marketing
Funnel
Management
Weekly Reporting
Ad Hoc Analysis
Website
Development

Pipeline Contribution
Bill Of Materials
target
Sales Enablement Revenue Contribution
Product Descriptions target
Field events
Pricing
Demand Gen
Sales Training
Activities & budget

Public Relations
Editorial
Content Calendar

Editor
PR Manager
Corporate Journalist

Product Marketer
Project Manager
Business Manager

Demand Gen
Event Specialist

P&L Management
Product Launches
Customer Polls
Localization

Regional Events
Regional Nurture Program
Regional SEM Manageme

Functions/Roles

Field
Marketing /
Demand Gen

Buying Journey
Stages
Development
Content
Development
Oversight
(regardless where
it is produced)
PR Outreach

@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure:
Marketing
/ Product
Product MarketingProduct
Excellence Drives
Close
Alignment Between Product & Sales (Via Field
Marketing):
Key Ownership Areas:

The messaging and value proposition system are

created by product marketing and then used by
the creative team and field teams. Product
marketing is the hub of the spoke and hub model.
Product marketing owns the core Bill-OfMaterials that drive the creation of marketing
programs in the field globally.

Product
Marketing
Manager

The establishment and maintenance of

customer reference programs / Customer
advisory boards are a key responsibility for the
product marketing team. These exercises, driven
consistently, provide a strong foundation of
information to establish close ties with product.
Including Product Marketing team members in
the story times for agile product teams is a
critical integration point.

Field
Marketing /
Demand Gen

Product
Marketing
Product
Marketing
Manager:
Partners

Product
Marketing
Specialist

PMM
Associate(s)

Size and roles can be scaled to appropriate size for organization however they should address the
basic functional roles above.

While not technically a member of the product

marketing organization a dotted line relationship
to a product marketing specialist into the field
marketing team is an efective tactic to support
the regional teams customization of core product
content. This role helps with Sales Enablement, a
core responsibility of product marketing.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure:
Marketing
Operations
/
Technology
Marketing Operations Excellence Drives
Close Alignment Technology & Sales:
Key Ownership Areas:

Management of sales & marketing funnel

including improvements to systems and
processes keeps marketing accountable to
sales and vice versa. Operations becomes an
central arbiter to field marketing and sales
to help alignment. Technology and marketing
gain closer alignment using similar processes
(Agile). Co-planning of backlogs.

Analytics ownership including M.A.P. data and

related SFDC data (contribution), web
analytics and potentially BI. The analytics
competency enables better decision making
across the entire organization and better
alignment with field marketing and sales.

Web Development ownership including CMS

Marketing
Operations
Critical Role
Analytics

Analyst(s)

M.A.P. and
SFDC
Administrato
r(s)

Web
Development

Project
Manager

Developer(s)

Size and roles can be scaled to appropriate size for organization however they should address the
basic functional roles above.

oversight, publishing schedule. With good

agile hygiene the web development team
becomes a key connection into the product
organization.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure:
Field
Marketing
/
Demand
Gen
Demand Generation / Field Marketing
Excellence Drives Close Alignment Between Sales
& Marketing;
Key Ownership Areas:

The agreement of goals with the regional sales

organization; focused on pipeline generation and
revenue generation. The Field marketing team
owns all tactics to meet goals as well as the
majority of in market budgets. Incentive structure
should align with sales organizations.

SEM activities and event (virtual and physical)

are developed in region by the demand
generation teams. Support for Corporate Aircover
campaigns are also a responsibility of the
demand teams.

Note: Americas field teams often sufer due to

a blurred line with the corporate marketing
teams. Its important to mirror the structure of
the Demand/Field teams in each operating
region.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

Demand
Generation /
Field Marketing
Field Marketing
Manager

Events
Specialist

Associate(s)

Size and roles can be scaled to appropriate size for organization however they should address the
basic functional roles above.

@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure: Content & Communications
Content & Communications Excellence Creates
alignment and focus across the company for content
creation and purposeful use of the content to
support the business.
Key Ownership Areas:

Content &
Communication
s

Company content calendar including the

development of the overall plan and timing of
published content. The content team develops
content against the buying journey from authors
across the company and external to the company.
The published content will take many forms
including video, long and short form written
content and infographics. Additionally the team is
responsible for content distribution.

Editor

PR &
Communications
Specialist

Corporate
Journalist

The content team develops and evolves the

buying journey stages with key inputs from
Product, Product Marketing, Field marketing &
Sales.

Size and roles can be scaled to appropriate size for organization however they should address the
basic functional roles above.

Product and company launch communications.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Structure:
Creative
Creative Excellence Drives Consistency Visually
And In Corporate Voice
Key Ownership Areas:

Development and application of the core visual

language for the company including products.
Deliverables include the company brand book,
visual style guide and then the enforcement of
the direction.

Delivering consistent content voice for all

company assets. Including website copy, trade
show signage, and marketing campaigns. Act as
the editor for all product and marketing
materials.

Creative
Director
Designer / Art
Director

Video
Production
Manager

Editorial
Director /
Copywriter

Production
Designer(s)

Develop and produce all product video

overviews, marketing promotional and
educational materials.

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

Size and roles can be scaled to appropriate size for organization however they should address the
basic functional roles above.

@kaykas

MARKETINGS ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION

Objectives

Align Product & Marketing To Develop & Maintain A Consistent Go-ToMarket Program

Create Sales & Marketing Alignment Against Pipeline, Bookings &

Revenue Contribution

Develop & Maintain A Best-In-Class Relationship With Technology &

Delivery
Be the first and best customer

Build An Industry & Discipline Thought Leadership Practice

Be A Best-In-Class Example Content Marketing Organization
Develop And Maintain Strategic Go-To-Market Partnerships

prepared by: jascha kaykas-wolf

@kaykas

THANK YOU

Jascha Kaykas-Wolf
jascha@kaykas.com
marketingiteration.com
@kaykas

You might like Growing Up Fast:

Its a practical book about how
to use agile systems in
marketing to be successful as a
modern marketing
organization.
You can buy the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Fast-Practices-InnovationStalemates/dp/0692238727/