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“Let me just give you a little advice. Son, a fool with a plan can beat a genius with no plan. And what we’re afraid of is, what your mother and I are afraid of, is that we have a son who is a fool with no plan.” — Thomas Boone Pickens Sr. (found at mathoda.com)

The same could be said for companies that jump straight into tactical marketing execution. It’s why every program we design and run for clients — whether a full-scale annual campaign or a new product announcement — starts with a plan. Plans get agency and client on the same page, force clear objectives and metrics, and provide the detailed tactical roadmap necessary for execution (a critical element as marketing, communications, business development and customer support functions continue to collide and overlap).

Plans are more than just a one-time exercise. Companies (and their marketing teams) should re-visit them regularly to ensure the objectives, messages, audiences, strategies and tactics they’ve put in place are still relevant. Things change quickly in business and companies need to move fast. Without a solid plan, though, they risk letting off-target tactical execution run the asylum.

(Google Master Plan image via Creative Commons courtesy of Jurvetson.)