Motorola needs to sell a story its story as much as its phones

Today, Motorola holds its annual meeting to decide whether Carl Icahn will join its board. The Wall Street Journal today advises shareholders to reject Icahn, claiming he is overbooked and lacking new ideas. That's an interesting point of view for a newspaper purporting to provide objective news.

The real issue at Motorola today is not its board makeup, but its failure to sell a vision of its future to prospects and shareholders alike. It's no accident that the company has foundered after the loss of its Chief Marketing Officer, Geoffrey Frost, who was the architect behind the branding program that made Motorola cool again. When Frost was in charge of Motorola's marketing, "Hello, Moto" was on everyone's mind. Today, I'd be hard-pressed to echo any concept being promoted by Motorola other than, "We really don't want to be bought out." And with the insane buzz surrounding Apple's iPhone today, that just isn't enough to keep Carl Icahn at bay.

We'll know the results after the annual meeting today. But if Ed Zander wants to keep his job, let's hope he has amazing products and even more remarkable marketing campaigns to show stockholders today. What he does today will shape the future of Motorola, either with or without Carl Icahn.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, Marketing, Motorola