When Jim Merrick left a well-known computer graphics company for California Vision Tools, he was excited about creating a dynamic marketing department of his own. But he failed to ascertain how much financial support his new company was likely to provide for dynamic product campaigns. Founder and CEO Mark Felton had seen his first product take off like a rocket. But now, when there are imitators all around, will Felton understand the importance of a big marketing push for his second product? Some on the executive staff like Merrick's ideas for a marketing campaign but don't see why he needs an extra $100,000 over his budget. Merrick believes that the company itself will suffer if it continues to view marketing as a functional department for producing sales materials cheaply. He is convinced that good marketing is essential to developing the company's future direction. ''We can use the new product,'' he tells the executive staff, ''as a draw to get the press, dealers, customers, and pundits here, then take the opportunity to communicate our overall vision and strategy. It will be more difficult for our competitors to keep up, because we can define the future in a way that perfectly fits our product plan. The more competitors we have, the more important marketing will become - so why not get ahead of the curve?'' Is Merrick just trying to keep his department's new hires happy? Should he try to implement his intro without incremental funds? Or are the other members of the executive staff being myopic? Five experts try their hands at setting California Vision Tools on the right course.
