Is Marketing Dead?

So a funny thin happened to me while I was in Dallas on a recent business trip (part of why my weekly postings have slowed). A friend sent me a link in the Harvard Business Review titled “Marketing if Dead” by Bill Lee. As a marketing professional what choice did I have, I had to read it.

Bill’s point was that traditional marketing is dead, and that in order to be successful marketers had to think non-traditionally. He focused heavily on the use of community and working with your customer influencers. The key take away, the voice of your consumer’s factors more in today’s marketing then the message you try and force on them.

So how could I disagree with Bill? I have stated repeatedly points that are in line with what he raised in his article. Yet when I read his publication, I was frustrated. It felt like it was missing something, that somehow he was wrong. And then it hit me, Bill had not addressed the best way firms can overcome their marketing woes, especially in the B2B world.

I think the one line that I disagreed with the most was speaking to how companies hire people, and marketing fails because those people’s interests don’t match those of their customers. I have my doubts about this in the B2C world, but I think in the B2B world it is completely untrue. I mean look around your office. What tools do you use? What applications? What pieces of hardware? How many of them have your own logo on them? I know that in my world I use my products on a daily basis, they are of high interest to me, and I appreciate them as an end user as much as anyone.

What frustrates me the most is when we have an internal need, but are unable to get approval to use our own product. Now how are we as marketers supposed to understand and love our product if we aren’t even budget approved to have it? I’m not asking for a 6 figure luxury item, just a basic tool to help my daily life. And this is where I think Bill raised a great point, I number of CEO’s are starting to become unwilling to open up budget for marketers, especially when they don’t have any tangible results to show success.

 My conclusion to this is more of a general warning then anything else. Marketers, when you find the desire to work with your own product or service, be prepared to encounter this resistance from the top. And decision makers, be mindful that those marketing guys who are asking for the budget they need. No one makes a better marketer then a spokesperson for your product, so why not start fostering that relationship internally first?

 Read Bills full publication here: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/marketing_is_dead.html

Do you know who you are?

A hobby of mine happens to be the martial arts, specifically Karate. In a recent discussion on philosophy the question was asked “If you are not what you do, how will I know who you are?” This is basically a fancy was of saying “You are what you do”, or “Actions speak louder then words”. It’s a basic concept that is incredibly important for individuals to realize about themselves, we will be seen as what we do.

Some of the biggest brands in the US have trembled and fell because their actions as a business speak louder then the words of their marketing team, and today’s customers are pretty much deaf to traditional advertising schemes. So where does that leave us? How can we as marketers and advertisers overcome this hurdle and help grow our business? The answer is simple, by behaving like we want our brand to be seen.

Monster Energy drinks in recent years has conducted a number of different marketing campaigns focused on showing customers who they really are. They haven’t done it with TV Commercials or ridiculously high budget print ads, they’ve done it in the streets and at the venues where their customers are. Monster knows that it wants to be a hip, modern company who is very in tune with the extreme sports culture. That target culture was formed from the ground up at competitions. Monster knew it had to be at the contests, shows, and competitions, so it put most of its budget behind having a Monster Energy Truck at every major contest.

Most recently they have launched a website devoted to young up-and-coming athletes in these extreme sports. Teen competitors are given their own landing page, complete with bio and schedule of upcoming competitions. Other fans can find these athletes, follow their pages, and support their professional growth. You want loyal customers to follow and preach the value of your brand? Give them a platform to help grow their own brand and identity.

Monster Energy is a company on the rise. Even people who don’t drink energy drinks advocate their brand. Their logo is voluntarily affixed to skateboards, wakeboards, cars and trucks across America. You don’t see many people with a Pepsi logo affixed to their gear, do you? But don’t lose the point behind this post, it isn’t about Monster, it’s about a brand who shows who they are by what they do, not what they say. Maybe we can all keep that in mind the next time we are looking at how to spend our advertising budget.

Facebook and it’s 35+ Year Old Reach

I was reading a great article today by Jay Baer today based on research from Edison Research. The article itself can be viewed here http://t.co/W6HE1yHv.

I agree with what Jay had to say, and I think everything was valuable. We all know that social media is growing. When we get to a point where we find ourselves teaching our parents and grandparents how to use it, there must be something behind it, right? And I think that really shows through Edison’s research numbers. The use of social media has stalled out in the 18-34 year old demographic, with no significant year to year gain, yet we continue to see growth and potential growth in the 35+ bracket.

Let’s be realistic with what these numbers mean though. Many people in this 35+ age bracket are using Facebook, not Twitter, as their Social Media of choice (and I think Jay did a great job pointing that out). These are the people going on to see pictures of their grand children, nieces, nephews, and recent re-aquaintances from high school and college. They aren’t on Facebook for the business or brand related aspect, they are there purely for the SOCIAL aspect.

Jay pointed out that 47% of FB users identify Facebook as having the greatest impact on their purchasing behavior. Let’s not forget who makes up the largest portion of that demographic though, 18-34 year olds. I wonder how much larger that number could be if the 35+ year olds could be reached the same way.

Well here’s the secret that most marketers miss. Everyone wants to be “Social”, but not everyone knows how to be or even deserves to be. The reason that the younger generation relates to social marketing is because it’s what they are used to. They grew up on that type of digital relationship. If you don’t believe me, go ask an 18-34 year old whether they text or make phone calls more often. To really engage the over 35-year-old segment, we have to speak to them the way they are used to having relationships.

Brands entering the social market for this demographic need to remember that the medium is key. Facebook is a place where they go to maintain relationships, so why not use FB as the brands way to personalize themselves. Don’t waste precious space with ads and coupons, but instead speak to events you are hosting, outreach you have performed, trends and topics dealing with their social life. When they start seeing your brand identity as part of their own identity, that’s when social media marketing is successful.

I’ll save my 2 cents about marketing and Twitter for another day. Thanks Again Jay for a great article and some fantastic insight!

So here we are

I’ve always been one with the gift of gab. At least that’s what my family and friends have been telling me for years. I’ll never forget being told jokingly as a child “Tommy, you belong in sales or marketing! One or the other!” Guess I took the advice to heart. I’ve been in love with Marketing and Advertising since I could remember, so when it was time to go to college, I knew exactly what I would be studying. Talking about these topics is like trying to solve a puzzle. What do consumers want? How are they thinking? How are they buying? How can we reach them?

Sadly for many, the joy of open discussion about marketing ends after college. People settle into their professional roles and  forget about the basic principles of this art form. Instead of keeping that broad background alive, they’d rather spend time honing the skills needed for their current job. I can’t say I blame them, after all we all want to be as good as we can at what we do.

There’s a problem in this logic though. What I’ve come to learn is how easy it is to forget what made us successful in the first place. Tunnel vision marketing (as I call it) is a dangerous methodology. It is based on finding something that has worked adequately in the past and just repeating it, over and over again. It may be the fastest way to complete a job, but it isolates creativity and favors boring repetition. It loses its touch quickly, and leaves its creators scratching their heads asking “Where did our audience go?”. Only those few of us who keep the broad picture in mind and use our peripheral vision will be successful in this business, the rest will ultimately lose their creative touch .

Our brain, our imagination, and our experiences are what make us as marketers so successful. This blog is dedicated to the discussion of ideas, the sharing of knowledge, and the continued learning of marketing and what makes it successful.