Grant Johnson

Having created and shaped several successful brands over the past decade, including FrontBridge (acquired by Microsoft) and FileNet (acquired by IBM), there are a few fundamentals that are key to successful brand development. It has to start at the top with the CEO supporting an investment in branding and disciplined brand management. Without that, it’s a non-starter. Given technology companies are continuously innovating and changing products, the brand strategy has to be differentiated and relevant to target markets and the executional guidelines have to be consistently applied in order for brand equity to be built over time Brand Manifesto A good place for marketers to start is to have a branding manifesto, i.e., what’s the purpose of building a brand and what differe... (more)

Selling the “Strategy Imperative” to the CEO

Given all the pressure to deliver "in quarter" results, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get executive attention on strategy formation and/or re-examination.   Executive energy is largely consumed with driving operational excellence and available "cycles' are devoted to sales and growth initiatives designed to drive near-term, measurable improvements in sales and/or profitability.... (more)

Marketing Your Way Out of The Recession

It's anyone's guess when the recession bottoms out and we get back to growth.  Rather than remain in a "state" of denial - like California did for too long - or adopt a hunker down mentality - "let's just ride this one out" - as many companies have, there's a middle path of taking proactive measures steps now, so that when growth reappears, your company is better positioned to gain an u... (more)

Pick the CEO, Not the Company

Most organizational experts will tell you that when joining an organization, the company's culture is the key to determining whether you will thrive or suffer in a given work environment.  While this is true for a mid-level manager or individual contributor, the closer you get to the top, the less a culture matters and the more the CEO's leadership and management style impact your work s... (more)

Sales & Marketing: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Over the past 15 years waging war in the technology marketplace, I’ve come to appreciate that the first battle for marketing is often the one fought inside a company between sales and marketing.  Let’s face it, the two functions are often at odds due to the he fundamental schism of one function primarily rewarded for delivering near term results, i.e. get sales this quarter, and the othe... (more)