Let’s be honest and admit that most of us marketers are Model T Ford drivers in a 747 cockpit
As she makes the transition from FMCG to martech, Radium One’s new regional marketing boss Jodie Koning argues that more marketers should have the humility to admit that haven’t kept up with the rapid pace of change
I don’t know too many marketers who have made the move from the relatively traditional world of brand marketing into the ever-expanding, ever-changing and complex world of martech (marketing technology).
That’s exactly what I have just done in taking on the Marketing Director role at RadiumOne.
For me, it made complete sense, I wanted to broaden my skillset and become less of a digital dinosaur. It also didn’t hurt that I was joining a company that already had a strong and differentiated brand story.
I had to google RadiumOne.. cue the digital kool-aid
Well done. The beginning of understanding is to utter the three words: I don’t know.
Either most people in marketing roles have no marketing experience or knowledge – and/or most people in marketing roles don’t have a science-based marketing philosophy or ideology, so end up backing the latest fad / trend / iceberg.
Either way, learning and development is desperately needed in this industry, and the first step is to acknowledge that most people who have marketing on their business cards are woefully ill-equipped for the role they have, so resort to subjectivity as a measure of effectiveness, and the role of marketing as the growth engine of business suffers completely.
So why not ask us who have been in this technology area since day one to help?
“I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting I have sat for years in meetings pretending to know what various digital experts were saying, only to exit promptly and seek out Google to find out WTF they were talking about.”
That sentence alone speaks volumes. If you need a “translator” ask if you can supply one at the next meeting. We can’t all be expected to know everything, and doing it in the way of the above sentence is only going to make you look really stupid at SOME point in time!
Any number of freelance tech journos would love to earn an extra $ by acting in this capacity – me included. We understand the tech and our job IS to communicate it after all!
Is this such a radical idea?
why pay someone when you can google it instead. you’ve been disrupted
As I said, you risk looking really stupid at some time in the future. And Google is always right? Ha! Good luck with that!
Saying ‘I don’t understand’ is the first step to the best advertising and communications with any stakeholder. There’s no such thing as a dumb question.
The comparison of a model T Ford and a 747 cockpit is an apple and an orange, but I get the point. The problem with the analogy is that a skilled 747 pilot may well be able to drive a Ford Model T, and a Ford Model T driver (not an easy car to drive by the way) may well be able to fly a 747.
No cooperative work can ever be done, unless all concerned are reading from the same pages, too many people are determined to pretend that they know more than they do, and afraid to ask any questions for fear of showing a perceived weakness. Mr Trump is a good example.
Wanted to not like this due to the headline and liberal use of martech … but read it and it’s pretty accurate and self aware.
That’s a brave piece, with some brave admissions, written with great insight and intelligence. Now off to Google martech, and wonder why we never had maradio, marpress, maroutdoor or marmainstream.
The problem is most of the martech sales and account management don’t understand it either. A lot of it is the emperors new clothes. A lot of the stuff the vendors spout is BS. So think you don’t know? Neither do those saying it most of the time.
I have a decent tech background – better than most marketers. I was being pitched to the other day and was told something that, best of my knowledge, simply isn’t possible. I asked how they got that data. Silence. “Well need to find out for you”. Still waiting to hear. It’s all BS.
Great piece.
Industry needs more self awareness, fake it til you make it should not be the mantra. Be comfortable not being the smartest in the room, ask questions if you don’t know and be up front about your strengths and weaknesses.
Can see the alignment in how you’ve landed at RadiumOne
What an honest piece. Good on you for lifting the lid on an industry that hides behind jargon.