matt higgins

The big reveal. The unveiling. Go to Market, and specifically the launch, is probably one of the most exciting aspects of marketing. It’s a thrill. What makes the building anticipation so palpable is partly all the work that goes into the GTM process and partly the fun of watching the reactions at launch. The opposite of the big day is the big fail, which most often is just quiet failure. Loud, obvious fails are pretty rare, but the unnoticed, slow silent death of a brand-new release is just as painful to the team who had high hopes. So, why do some GTMs fail?

Communication

It’s instinct to blame the product when a launch fizzles, but the number one reason for failure at launch is actually lack of communication. I’m not talking about the communication that tells the world about the product. It’s lack of internal communication that’s the problem. This happens for two reasons. One is the system and one is the culture.

The System

The specifics of the product development process look different at every organization, but the process starts with ideation and concludes* at launch. What happens in between ideation and launch varies but typically there are gates. The problem is the communication outside of the product development team. GTM and launches are perfect examples of cross-functional collaborations of multiple teams. So, simply put when key players are looped in matters. Even simpler put and more to the point, teams are simply looped in far too late in the process. Too much is taken for granted. Teams outside product development perform key functions. These teams need to be given the important information, and they need to be given enough time to do the information justice.

The fix is a kickoff meeting. The reality is there is usually only one true gate. The rest of the gates are really checkpoints. When there are problems, they get fixed one way or another because the organization is committed. That actual gate is a pivotal moment. Schedule the kickoff meeting right after that real gate, the “we’re going to do this gate.” This is where managers from the creative, web, sales, and distribution should first learn about the upcoming product. Marketing is often involved from the very beginning, but this formal kickoff meeting will allow everyone to understand the scope and goals of the product. If you want big ideas, give your team time to come up with them. One to two weeks after the kickoff meeting, reconvene to commit to a strategy and tactics for each team. Marketing should own the kickoff meeting and be the point for the cross-functional collaboration. The product development team has enough to worry about.

Organizations that produce a continuous stream of products fall in the trap of just going through the motions. Every launch is the same not because team members lack creativity or lack ambition. Every launch is the same because of the system. If they knew more about the product and knew that information sooner, they could do great work. When people are given just enough time and information to get the bare minimum done, don’t be surprised when all they get done is the bare minimum.

Gatekeepers

The kickoff meeting is the first step in fixing the system, but what about the previously mentioned culture? Often new products are made in secrecy. Team members involved early in the process instinctively guard the details and almost unintentionally become gatekeepers. The good news is the kickoff meeting solves the gatekeeper problem too. The meeting isn’t for entire teams. Those involved will be far more likely to share when they see the meeting is key stakeholders.

Documentation

If communication is key or the keystone, documentation is the foundation. Terms vary from organization to organization and from industry to industry, but each product should have a Product Requirements Document (sometimes called Product Scope) for the product developers and engineers and a separate Marketing Brief. The latter should summarize the overall scope, key features/benefits, target audience, positioning, messaging, value proposition, points of difference, competitive landscape, and launch details (deliverables, timeline, etc.). The Marketing Brief (sometimes called a product brief) is the “source of truth” and serves to align marketing, creative, sales, and other teams.

It’s important these documents are audited frequently. Needs change and these documents should evolve accordingly. This is also true of project management tools such as Workfront and Jira. Usage drift happens when these tools aren’t updated to reflect the actual current tasks. When they aren’t relevant, they aren’t used.

There’s a lot to consider after a launch, successful or otherwise, but the first issue to review is communication.