In his paper titled "The Strategic Game of ? and ?" John Boyd posed a series of questions and answers regarding the O-O-D-A Loop and strategy. I have used Boyd’s Q&A exchange in order to translate his theories directly to marketing campaigning. Each exchange consists of a question, an answer and an interpretation of the answer to marketing campaigning. This is the first of a series of four posts on this topic.         

Q. What is Strategy?

A. A mental tapestry of changing intentions for harmonizing and focusing our efforts as a basis for realizing some aim or purpose in an unfolding and often unforeseen world of many bewildering events and many contending interests.

INTERPRETATION. The ability to assimilate intelligence into actionable strategy is the single greatest weakness in contemporary marketing organizations. Should you ask most sales, marketing or agency managers – What is strategy? – you’ll likely get a confusing array of definitions and explanations focused on the importance of strategy – and the function of strategy… but little or no meaning of what strategy really is, or how you use strategy to accomplish an objective. The operative words in Boyd’s definition of strategy are a "mental tapestry of changing intentions". Most enterprises continue to reward their employees on the basis of stability and predictability – the antithesis of “changing intentions”. Sales and marketing organizations need to develop the competencies and the instincts to exploit change. They need to destroy rigid infrastructure and convert deeply grooved relationships into fluid formations.

Next: What is the Aim or Purpose of Strategy?

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