Author: Fabrizio

Disservice

FabrizioLeave a comment

That idea you oppose, most likely it has some valid arguments backing it up.

By diminishing the idea, refusing to listen to it, sushing those supporting it you are doing everybody a disservice.

You are doing your counterpart a disservice, as you do not leave them the space to express their view and see if it resonates.

You are doing yourself a disservice, as you remain stuck, forgo a learning opportunity, fail to progress.

And equally importantly, you are doing your own idea a disservice, because even if it will eventually prevail, it will fail to represent a portion of the environment that might be sizable.

We are a culture in transition, and it may be that we are heading toward a more equal society — I don’t know — but what essential values will we forfeit in the process?

Nick Cave, the Red Hand Files, issue #109

Aspiring

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If you are starting in marketing today, whether you are a fresh graduate or you are changing career, the best way for you to employ your (free) time is creating content.

Show us that you have ideas and creativity (you do!), that you are methodical and consistent (you can be!), that you can try, fail, learn and repeat (that’s all marketing is about!).

There is nothing more deadly for the career of an aspiring marketer than thinking they have nothing to tell, nothing to share with the world, nothing to master.

The world is yours, go get it!

Not permanent

FabrizioLeave a comment

Who is speaking up in support of the change you seek to make?

If it is always, only you, you most likely have one of two problems.

Problem number 1: you are seeking the wrong change. There is nothing to change, everything works just fine. Or there is something to change, just not what you want to. This happens more often then we care to admit, as we tend to follow our guts when it comes to change. It makes us restless, constantly searching for evidence, submitting ourselves to confirmation bias. In the long run it takes away from our purpose.

Problem number 2: you are seeking change in the wrong place. It might seem awfully similar to problem number 1, but in this case it is actually more about trying to bring on board the wrong people, pushing for change in the wrong organisation, expecting the wrong community to react to something they are not ready for.

One way or the other, there is one caveat about “wrong”: it is not permanent. If you are cautious and aware, you can prepare the ground for “right”. You can advocate, commit, wait, listen,understand. You can act both on the change and on the place, and eventually make them match.

Let’s go!

Advantage

FabrizioLeave a comment

A twist on the 99% idea is that the vast majority of people (say 99%) – or even better, the totality of people in the 99% of cases – will not act on the information they are given or on the knowledge they are accumulating. They will just keep falling back to hold habits and practices, because that is more convenient. Because that is how our brain is wired.

This gives you an incredible advantage if you manage to build a practice of doing, shipping, delivering.

Mess

FabrizioLeave a comment

What HBO is doing with their streaming offering is the perfect example of how bad marketing can ruin a great product.

Having three brands (HBO Max, HBO Go and HBO Now) to essentially serve the same audience has created a lot of distraction and confusion, and it has not helped one bit in delivering the image of quality HBO is recognized for worldwide.

They will fix it sooner or later, and they will most likely get past it, because they are HBO. Your organisation, though, is not. Take marketing seriously.