So, this is my theory. Marketing has sadly become an overused as well as misused word to define any sort of professional aspiration that some self-proclaimed creative people have. Although I do believe that the talent factor surpasses education and knowledge many times, I do think that there is a big, I mean big, difference between believing that you do marketing and really doing it. To be able to do one of the marketing mix’s components well doesn’t really mean being a marketer. No offense, but a lot of talented office managers and event coordinators out there can do that.
People often forget about the importance of tying all these components together , placing each of them in the best place, orchestrating their execution and being creative on the way they are used, and not only in the way they look. There is a significant difference between these two things. These sort of short-sided approaches to marketing explain why the term "marketing" sounds like a straight forward, easy to understand concept to anyone. In a way, this is a great way to market marketing! The more comfortable everyone feels about it, the more likely they are to be open to it. On the other hand, this also explains why so many CEOs and CFOs are skeptical, not to say scared, about marketing. Sometimes, I am too!
I am now finally able to understand – but not accept – why some clients, CEOs or CFOS come up with this reaction: “ Ok, fine. I will approve the budget you are asking for, but if this doesn’t work, it will be the last time”. Yes, I do hate this type of non-committal and set-up to failure buy-in, but when I see a lot of the so called marketing activities out there, I can’t stop but think that had I been in their shoes, I might have done the same. It might have been easier to just say, watch the show “so you think you can dance” and see how some individuals are really dancing and some just aren’t.
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