From your experiences, what are the key strategies marketing teams can use to maintain consistent messaging when internal changes—like new leadership or shifting priorities—occur? How do you ensure the message stays strong and aligned during these transitions?

Okay - thanks for the honest question. This is something we all deal with so having a plan is important. It starts with a communication plan for executive stakeholders. When major shifts, either organizationally or due to business priorities, these are the key steps:

• I begin by looking back at the SSOT stakeholder documents that were approved and are currently in use.

• I pull these forward and do a "re-share" with any new executives so they understand the current "state of the union."

• I pro-actively ask whether any underlying assumptions need to be revisited in the near term (1-2 months or could be as quickly as 2-4 weeks)

• I connect with colleagues in other marketing disciplines whether there are sizable investments coming up that would be impacted if messaging needed to be changed. This input is also shared with the executive team.

• Finally, I suggest doing another messaging check-in a few months later.

While this doesn't eliminate messaging churn, this process ensures strong alignment and partnership across exec and stakeholder teams by creating a forum for communication and establishing trust.