Marketers sure are depressed these days. With their budgets under attack and mounting pressure from higher-ups to demonstrate concrete ROI, they’re constantly seeking the holy grail of measurement, that one perfect tool, metric, piece of data that will finally – finally! – prove that their programs are working. But something is strikingly absent from their woebegone tales of unrealistic expectations and insufficient data:
Maybe the problem isn’t the metrics. Maybe, just maybe, it’s that the marketing sucks.
Why does most marketing suck so badly? Because marketers have fundamentally failed to understand their role in the 21st century. In the 20th century, marketing was about broadcasting your message, mass media, manufacturing desire, the 4 P’s, the 4 C’s and other buzzwords. In short, it was about who could tell the best lie, or at least (if we’re being generous) the best story. And it worked for a long time.
But this model is now broken. According to a study from 2005, the effectiveness of marketing is mediocre at best, and it’s getting worse. That was six years ago, pre-financial crisis, pre-social media explosion, pre-iPhone, pre-a lot of other things we now take for granted. I can’t imagine it’s gotten any better.
In the 20th century, marketers were liars and storytellers. To succeed in the 21st, marketers have to be builders.
Building isn’t just for developers and programmers. You, the marketer, must build things that create meaningful value for your customers. Things that solve problems. Things that empower, enrich and embolden. Things that help. Easier said than done? Asking too much of the marketing profession? That’s what a lazy marketer would say. I assure you it’s possible. It’s more than possible; it’s how your business will thrive.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll explore five different ways that marketers can go from being liars to being builders, including specific examples of companies who are doing just that. Until then, I suppose you’ll just have to wait with bated breath.
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Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for!
I run a smaller online magazine and get advertising requests from time to time. “We’d like to pay you money to put our logo in front of your readers in the hopes they will come buy our crap.” Yeah, no. This is the fundamental flaw in the media today. The magazine makes money, the advertiser makes money, but what does the customer get? An interruption seeking to trick him into coughing up his hard-earned cash on another mediocre, also-ran product. Screw that. Not interested.
What I am interested in, however, is businesses looking to become partners in a community. The future of business is ecosystems. You want to get your brand in front of my audience? Then you need to make a reasonable investment in my platform AND my audience. Your involvement will improve the quality of their lives – whether they buy from you or not – or your competition will.
An example: Sell performance oils and lubrication products? My automotive audience would just LOVE to learn more about such things from an AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE which empowers them to be informed consumers who get the most value for their time and money. From whom do you think such educated individuals will likely make their next performance motor oil purchase? And how likely are they to tell others about their experience?
One problem I’m finding with this is, we don’t deal with the business owners anymore. We deal with the shills in the marketing department or the hucksters at the agency. They just want the clicks. Set it and forget it. Well, I say, *forget them.*
Really looking forward to this series, Robin. Let’s make it happen.
Brian, you’re so right, and good for you for sticking to your principals and refusing money for ads that don’t create any value for your customers. Ads are easy. Meaning is hard.
Your insight that we don’t deal with business owners anymore is very interesting. I wonder what advertising would look like if a business owner were required to be part of every account…
Awesome!
Can’t wait!
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