Strategy vs Tactics: The Bonnie Brooks Approach

The difference between strategy and tactics is not always clear. To many the two seem similar but in order to be successful in your overall goal it is important to understand how and why they are different. Strategy is what you want to accomplish and how you are going to get there. Tactics are the small things that put the strategy in motion (Olsen)(Shah).

A good example of someone who had a clear strategy and used tactics within that strategy to accomplish her goals is Bonnie Brooks. When Bonnie Brooks became the President of The Hudson Bay Company she had a mission. She wanted to reshape how customers and potential clients viewed The Bay and the shopping experience that it offered. She wanted to take what was once becoming old and outdated and revamp it to keep up with new and existing trends (Kopun). Bonnie Brooks had a strategy and that strategy helped The Bay move forward and continue to be a successful department store (Kopun).

When looking at how Bonnie fulfilled her overall goal through this strategy we see the tactics that she used. Bonnie used Social Media to reach out to her clients and allow them to reach out to her. She invited companies that already had the reputation that she wanted to become part of The Hudson’s Bay Company (Kopun). She also created an online shopping presence that allowed customers to see and purchase product through their website. This moved the company forward and helped it to remain current. Through these tactics she was able to achieve what her strategy had laid out. She wanted the company to become more “hip” and she did just that (Kupol).

Without strategy and tactics Bonnie would not have been successful. It would have been much harder for her colleagues and the rest of the company to follow what she was trying to create and to see where she wanted to take the company and why. By having a clear strategy that was specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely, Bonnie re-established The Bay (Shah).

References:

Kopun, Francine. “Bonnie Brooks, president of HBC, talks about her newest challenge.” The Star [Toronto] o7/19/13 http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/07/19/bonnie_brooks_vicechair_of_the_bay_talks_about_her_newest_challenge.html, Accessed on: 09/28/13

Olsen, Erica. Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/strategic-planning-strategy-vs-tactics.html.  Accessed on: 09/28/2013

Shah, Bhupesh. “Week 3:Social Media Strategy” 09/20/13 Social Media Strategies, SenecaSoMe, https://my.senecacollege.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-4986557-dt-content-rid-7909315_2/courses/SMD101MS.BUMK.20133/Week%203%20Social%20Media%20Strategy.pdf. Access date: 09/20/13

Image taken from: http://yoursmallbusinessgrowth.com/2013/09/understanding-strategy-vs-tactics/