Case
Triumph: Improving marketing performance for the long haul in a fast-moving market
It was late one afternoon in February when I received a call from a former Levi’s colleague.A senior marketeer, she was now global head of brand management at German lingerie manufacturer and retailer, Triumph International.
And she wanted more marketing effectiveness.
She was keen to assess and improve her marketing return on investment: Like many other companies, Triumph was contemplating how to deal with the proliferation of competitors, channels and markets, resource constraints, and the changing needs of their customers.
However, rather than simply launching yet more campaigns, widening the product portfolio, or adjusting the retail presentation, my client wanted to take a more sustainable and integrated approach: Optimize and improve things from the inside out. She wanted to make the brand’s marketing practice more effective altogether.
A phenomenal brand with a heritage second-to-none in the category, it was also clear that Triumph wasn’t benefitting enough from its unique position. Facing changed market conditions, both a more systematic and focused way of working and a more sharply defined brand was required.
The project was kicked off with a marketing audit which examined the Triumph marketing practice across the 3 dimensions of People, Plan, Process. It laid out a number of recommendations and priorities across these areas. We decided to focus on 1) structure and capabilities, 2) process and briefings, and 3) marketing strategy and plan.
The following 6 months I worked with my client and her teams to implement a number of internal and external changes. The work took place at their headquarters through a combination of team and stakeholder conversations, analysis of business and marketing results, review of prior marketing activity, agency and internal briefings, and go-to-market workshops. I would act primarily as consultant but also as part of my client’s teams eg as project manager.
The result was a business-driven and systematic approach to marketing with strong processes, clear roles & relationships, tailor-made tools for planning and briefing, and a focused marketing strategic direction and set of KPIs.
Tasks
- Marketing audit
- Marketing process
- Briefing process and tools
- Agency review, process, and tools
- Team capabilities and job profiling
- Marketing strategy and plan incl. KPI framework
- Brand personality project
Outcomes
- Significant internal efficiencies, saving time and effort on a daily basis
- Stronger analytical capability and increased awareness of marketing ROI
- Increased marketing strategic awareness
- More coherent in-market execution
Quote
“Helene Venge helped me assess our central marketing organization, designed a marketing process that integrated completely with our go-to-market process, created a long-term strategic marketing framework, and put a great deal of structure to our internal as well as agency briefings. It helped the marketing organization work in a systematic manner saving time and endless debate. Helene went beyond the scope of what Triumph initially briefed her to do. Conscientious and focused in getting results delivered, I would highly recommend to work with Helene again”.
Suzanne McKenna, Global Head of Triumph brand
Triumph International
Triumph International is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of lingerie and casual wear. It is a privately owned company founded in Heubach, Germany, in 1886 by the two families Spiesshofer and Braun. Today it is still run by the owners, headquartered in Switzerland, operates on more than 100 markets worldwide, in 2010 had an annual turnover of 2.2 billion Swiss francs and over 36,500 employees.