THE BOARD HAS REACHED A DECISION...

💬 Kryton Earthington:

Thank you for your attendance at the Emergency Board Meeting. Let me begin by saying this:

The quality of your work was not in question. Your diagnostic work was rigorous. Your interpretation of the data was thorough and your documentation exceptionally well-presented. There is little doubt around this table that you posses strong capability.

However, marketing is not an academic exercise, it's a commercial discipline and - in this instance - your judgement must be examined:

The issue

You elected to commission the most comprehensive research package available. It was impressive and meticulous. It also consumed 80% of your annual marketing budget! That decision left insufficient funds to deploy any meaningful campaign execution this financial year. The consequence is simple: RobsBots now fully understands the opportunity... but must wait another year to pursue it. In a competitive market, that is a very costly delay.

We believe you were striving for perfection. Unfortunately, in marketing, perfection is frequently the enemy of progress. Diagnosis, Strategy, and Tactics are not hierarchical. They are co-dependent. Three equal pillars. If one dominates the others, the structure collapses. Great research without execution is just very expensive curiosity. Execution without strategy is just noise. Strategy without diagnosis is guesswork. Balance is the key!

The Correct Course of Action:

Diagnosis

The optimal approach was not to pursue flawless certainty. It was to accept imperfection. A combination of quantitative rigour (Botometry) and qualitative depth (HocusFocus) would have provided sufficient confidence to act - while preserving enough capital for execution. Marketing decisions are made under uncertainty. Waiting to remove uncertainty entirely is how momentum is lost.

Strategy

The research did not indicate a need to out-innovate competitors, nor did it suggest the need to discount aggressively. It indicated that RobsBots is strongest when associated with ease, reassurance, and dependable support - which means elevating the brand from mid-market utility to emotionally meaningful. 

The correct strategic move was therefore:

Target market: Prioristise Life Enrichers - those seeking to improve and enhance everyday life, rather than chasing tech enthusiasts or price-sensitive switchers.

Positioning: Adopt the "Better For Life" campaign to build emotional meaning on top of functional reliability (also aligns with the founder's vision).

Objective: Strengthen consideration and preference at the top and middle of funnel, recognising that conversion is already strong once the brand is preferred.

Tactics

Once that strategic territory was chosen, the path to execution became clear. An integrated, multi-channel campaign. Charles Abbott’s print placements would have provided legitimacy and broad reach. Botivity’s “Better for Life” campaign would have delivered emotional resonance across OOH, TV and digital. Together, they would have strengthened the gaps in our funnel and the very attributes most correlated with purchase intent. 

Integrated. Consistent. Commercial.

The optimal route would have required a small, justified stretch of the budget at the execution stage. But as it stands, there was simply no headroom left - the investment in research meant we never had the option of backing the strategy properly.

The Consequence

You have narrowly survived this review. The Board believes you will learn from this experience and be much stronger as a result.

However, the cost of delay has not been without impact.

The oversight of this budgetary imbalance has been deemed the final straw for our current Chief Executive, Bob Roberts. He departs with immediate effect.

You remain.

Final Reflection

Marketing is not about eliminating uncertainty. It's making decisions with enough certainty to act.

Next year, our expectation is simple:

Balance the thirds. Accept imperfection. Deploy with conviction. Because a brand does not grow on insight alone. It grows when insight becomes action.

...........................
Kryton Earthington
Chair of Board
RobsBots