Execution

Maybe Bill Murray Was on to Something

In today’s fast-moving marketing environment, we need to ensure marketing tools are not replacing essential marketing skills to drive sales results.

If you recall the movie “Groundhog Day”, Bill Murray was stuck in a cycle of repeatedly waking up to an alarm and realizing — hey, I’ve seen this before.

For those of us who have managed brands, products, or sales channels, over the past decade or more, perhaps the current wave of excitement over social media, widgets, etc. reminds us of that alarm going off on Bill Murray’s night stand. The realization that “hey — I’ve seen this before.”

In this case, the deja vu’ is the suggestion by some that a tool, technique, or process will turn poor marketers into effective marketers. The implication that everyone should jump in and host a blog or post an avalanche of YouTube videos will somehow help your brand stand out and be noticed by prospects. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great marketing tools and techniques that are enabling sincere brands to connect to potential prospects — but the point I’m trying to make is that maybe we all need to step back and remember that its not the marketing tools — it is the marketer’s use of the tools, that dictates success or failure.

Tools don’t sell products, authenticity and trust sells products. Its been that way since people were trading animal hides for bags of grain. The only thing that has changed is that social media platforms now enable us engage in local, regional, or global conversations. We can tell thousands of people in a nanosecond whether the brand experience measured up to the brand promise.

So getting back to Bill Murray…..Are we really at a point in time where basic marketing rules no longer apply as some would say? Do we abandon the marketing mix variables so that we no longer have to build great products, offer exceptional value, offer convenient channels, and promote with authenticity?

A thought for ad agencies to ponder who are being pressured to get their clients “in the social media game” is to first ensure their clients are in the “trust, authenticity, and delivery game.” Listen to what people are saying about the client’s brand and if there’s a gaping hole between their brand promise and brand experience — fix that first.

MMEHEVKUZ6WF

Tags: marketing execution, marketing mix, social media