"Hip hop can heal this world. It can end racism."
That was from a documentary on 90's hip hop. While I loved the episode and thought the information was intriguing, that quote stuck with me.
Can music really end racism? Will it also help us get to Mars?
I'm sorry I can be cynical so easily. But come on, who thinks music can fix the systemic and political issues we have? Not me.
That made me think, do we do the same for marketing?
Do we put extraneous weight on the shoulders of marketing that's, in the end, too heavy? I think so.
We think if we do enough marketing:
- People will bang on our door to buy our product
- We'll hit every crazy revenue goal we have
- Our company will have a killer IPO and sell for billions
We conflate our idea of marketing. So we don't have to deal with the real reasons things don't work.
It's natural. We overcompensate marketing's power and neglect the power of product, pricing, and genuine innovation. This happens because we think of marketing as something we control.
We can post every day if we want.
We can have a weekly podcast.
We can host an online event.
But in the end, that stuff only works if "other things" are in place.
What are those other things? Strategy, execution, insights from customers.
When we put too much pressure on marketing, we take the wrong actions.
When we fail to put enough pressure on marketing, we take small, ineffective actions.
The sweet spot is in the middle.
Find the spot where you don't over-glamorize marketing but treat it with the respect it deserves.
Let's get real about what we think marketing can do for our business.
🧠 + ❤️ // JO