Strategy, Tactics, Operations, and Evaluations in 5 Minutes
What looks like a title from a chess magazine encapsulates many important topics for all the brand and marketing strategists out there. This post is about how to understand them.
Sep 22, 2024
Strategy
5 min
What looks like a title from a chess magazine encapsulates many important topics for all the brand and marketing strategists out there. But the truth is I have decided on this title for a specific reason: I intend to explain these topics on chess examples. One, I like to play chess, and two, because the chess explanation serves well in trying to understand these concepts. Let’s take a look at all of them.
The King of Strategy
What is a strategy and what is its purpose was an abstract concept for me for quite some time. Well, maybe not the purpose of it—you can understand that it is pretty important—but without knowing what it is, you can’t appreciate its purpose much, besides knowing you kinda need it.
So, what is a strategy? Strategy is your long-term plan which you want to deviate from only when known facts drastically change. And here’s where the chess analogy comes in:
In chess, there are various chess openings, which are just different ways a player can start the game. Each opening has its long-term plan and objectives that last for the entire game. You might be forced to change these objectives, but you do so only when the situation on the board changes significantly. The same principle applies to marketing strategies.
Think of your marketing strategy as your long-term game plan. It's a plan that outlines key objectives, and just like in chess, you only deviate from it when the market or conditions drastically shift. Once you establish your strategy, you need tools to achieve those objectives. And that’s where tactics and operations come into play.
Maneuver With Sharp Tactics
Tactics are all about how you achieve those strategic objectives. I like to think of tactics as a set of tools that you either know or don’t but fundamentally can apply to meet a strategic objective. In chess, a very easy tactic to learn is pinning a piece. This means attacking a piece that stands in front of a more valuable one and if the shielding piece moves, the other behind it will be vulnerable to capture thus the term, a pin.
Similarly, in marketing, tactics are your tools. For example, social media is a tool that can be used to achieve strategic marketing goals. But like chess tactics, you need to understand how the tool works and when it's best to apply it. Just as chess players use their knowledge of tactics to gain an advantage, marketers use their understanding of tools to maximize impact.
This understanding is crucial because it helps you decide which tools are worth using and which may no longer be effective for your strategy. Knowing these tactics allows you to seize opportunities during the marketing game.
Strengthen Your Operations
Operations are your day-to-day actions. These are the steps you take to execute the tactics and move closer to your objectives. In chess, this would be how fast you make calculated moves on the board to strengthen your position.
In marketing, operations are about executing tactics consistently and efficiently. It’s important to note that even if you have the best strategy and the right tactics, success ultimately depends on effective execution. A well-oiled operation is what translates your strategy and tactics into actual results. Optimizing these operations should be a top priority to ensure your marketing efforts lead to success.
Evaluations and Calculations
Evaluation plays a critical role in marketing. What is it? Chess (again!) gives us an easy analogy to understand. In chess, players constantly evaluate the position on the board, calculating possible outcomes before making a move. Without it, their next move could be a losing one.
In marketing, evaluation is similar to analyzing performance metrics and understanding the current state of your campaigns. It’s through this analysis that you know if your strategy is working or if it needs adjustment. Without proper evaluation, you may continue making moves (or decisions) that won’t lead you to success.
***
Summary
Next time, when creating a strategy, think of your strategy as a long-term game plan with crucial objectives on your marketing board. Your tactics are the tools you know and how to utilize them, while your operations are how you move toward those objectives. Evaluation is the reporting and analytics you use to make accurate, informed decisions. And remember, success comes not just from having a strategy, but from executing it efficiently and evaluating it continuously.
Disclaimer
This type of writing can be viewed as a bit philosophical (at least my friends told me!) but I also think it is important to think of marketing topics from a different perspective and to simplify them. I hope you liked what you read anyway and that these concepts make your work or talk easier, even though they can be viewed as too simple or philosophical.
If you like it why not share it with your friends? If you didn’t like it, why not share your opinion directly with me so that I can improve upon it? Either way, your engagement is a key to making this blog a better source for everybody.
