The marketer does. No, the IT department owns it. Wait, it belongs to everyone.
Who owns digital in your business? Before you answer that, maybe we should understand what we mean by ‘digital’?
Digital marketing is now a common marketing discipline. It combines social media, email, websites and portals. Originally used to listen and broadcast, digital channels are now used to support customer service, with social media and web chat being the fastest growing customer contact channel in the UK.
But ‘digital’ is even bigger than that.
Not only are digital solutions supporting customer self-service through portals and online interactions, but these solutions are enabling customers, partners and employees to access information, transact and collaborate globally. The result is streamlined processes, increased productivity and significant efficiency gains.
To achieve this level of benefit, the whole business needs to be behind a digital transformation programme. Ultimately, the CEO owns the strategic direction of the organisation and in order to realise modern competitive advantage and adopt a digital business model, then it is the Executive Board that will take responsibility for implementing this progressive approach.
Will the CEO turn to marketing or IT to deliver a digital business model?
That depends on the organisation. However, it is more likely that a steering committee combining the CMO, CTO and CIO will be tasked with creating a strategic solution, drawing on their communication, technical and information strengths.
For some organisations, they will employ a Chief Digital Officer to take responsibility for the successful migration to a digital business. It’s a role that is increasingly being seen on the Executive Team, but once an organisation has evolved, it is anticipated that this role will disperse.
What we do know is that each department in an organisation has a vested interest in the digital evolution of their business. Each department head should be influencing the digital strategy and ensuring their line of business is willing and able to support this inevitable change.
