To get ahead, don’t obsess about the four Ps or the latest faddish concepts. Instead, focus on these four Cs
Having worked in marketing for quite a few years, I have frequently been asked how you ensure a long and successful career. My answer isn’t to focus on the tools and techniques, old or new. I don’t talk about the four Ps, or making sure you understand the difference between positioning and a proposition, or knowing what semiotics are. Rather – perhaps like some politicians – I focus on values, and most importantly four (or maybe eight) Cs.
The first is to be constantly curious; to find joy in learning new things. This manifests itself in asking lots of questions and not always accepting the first answer you are given – maybe even asking a question about any answer you are given. It pays to try to look at things as if you’ve never seen them before, and to listen naively – that is, as if you have never heard what you are being told, even if you have heard it several times over. It’s actually quite a skill. As others have said, you have two ears and one mouth: try to use them in that proportion.
The next C, and perhaps the one that raises the most eyebrows, is to be challenging. I should qualify that and say constructively challenging. Few, if any, clients just want someone to agree with them. Most will appreciate you challenging norms and status quos. They value having their assumptions explored and alternatives considered. I tell people they shouldn’t be scared to ask difficult questions, but it’s even better if you have a couple of possible answers already prepared.
The third C is perhaps the most obvious, and that’s to collaborate closely. Most people in marketing are clever and can come up with an idea or two, but experience has taught me that working together with other marketers, insight specialists, technical and R&D people, salespeople and customers gets you to more and better solutions. Even an individual flash of brilliance is often improved by talking to someone about it. They may add to it or spot an obvious flaw you have missed.
My final recommendation is to be courageously creative. Too many people in marketing think you have to work as ‘a creative’ – a designer, a copywriter, an art director, a content creator – to be allowed to be creative. Personally, I think this is nonsense. Anyone and everyone can be creative. Many people I know went into marketing thinking it would be a blend of art and science, allowing them to be both rational and artistic, only to give up on the artistic and the pursuit of originality. I believe great marketers are strategically creative, visually creative and commercially creative. Great marketers think differently. As I have said before, if best practice has become common practice, then it’s time to be original. Sometimes it is better to zig when the world zags.
Having completed my list of Cs, I add two further points. The first is to try and identify a few colleagues or clients who you think are destined to go places, or who have already got there. Seek them out, ask their advice, and see if they will mentor you – formally or informally – with tips and tricks of the trade.
And my final piece of advice is: ask yourself if you truly enjoy what you’re doing. You will have to invest a lot of time and energy to get ahead in marketing. I know that leading a marketing organization can be deeply rewarding. But if it’s just a job, or if you’re only doing it for the money – well, you’d be better off finding a new job.
Giles Lury is a freelance brand consultant