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Defining Marketing Via Redefinition

I dug up my old marketing textbook this morning in an effort to reconnect with the theory that first introduced me to the wonderful world I now call home.

Contemporary Marketing by Boone, Kurtz, MacKenzie and Snow, First Canadian Edition. As I started to re-read Chapter 1, memories of both fondness and melancholy came over me. I am ever-so passionate for marketing and its many-faceted intricacies but textbooks have never been my cup of tea. Coming from an English Lit background (as well as Business Management), I couldn't help but wish that the textbook did a better job of engaging me, perhaps a few lines of Austen would've helped!

Marketing Word Cloud

That aside, the first chapter attempts to achieve a lot in some thirty pages of heavy-handed verbiage. But right there to start it all off is "A Definition of Marketing," Boone et al. define it as "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives." [Take breath here!]

The definition at its core is not incorrect. It rather accurately (though it is markedly wordy) encompasses the challenging space of marketing and its prismatic quality. It does pin down what the authors describe as a broad scope of activities often difficult to define. And I couldn't agree more with the foundation they've laid.

Marketing is perhaps best described as a term that is defined out of necessity rather than desire. To define it is to give it shape, but I love to think of marketing as something quite fluid and marked by is constant redefinition.

Admittedly, I sometimes struggle when asked what I do for a living,

"I'm in marketing ..." is my usual response.

But, what is marketing? I mean, what do you do?" s/he will inevitably ask, but whatever response I give, whether literal like the one above or a little more loose around the edges, will undoubtedly end in ambiguity.

"Marketing is, I guess, finding out what you want or what you need and making it happen," I'll say. "It's every poster you see, every word you read, every website you visit or software you download or brand you like. It is ubiquitous."

Not quite as elucidating as I'm sure the questioner would've hoped, and yet still right on ball.

Marketing is communication and relationships and analysis and creativity and even so much more. But maybe the real definition of marketing is as unique as each individual that calls him/herself a marketer. Marketing is as marketing does, it achieves definition through action and through those who initiate that action.

How would you define it?

I Have A Tired Brain

And so do you. I'm not trying to offend you. Honest.

Our brains are saturated, overexposed, goldfish, marketing nightmares. But you've heard this before. Too much information, all thrown at us right now, and if you missed it then you lose, and if you caught it then you're so-three-seconds-ago when you began reading this sentence.

But my take is that even though we're more tired than ever before, we're also smarter. I need to have faith in you. Because you have exactly what I need: the intelligent prowess to understand me, and that is most important of all.

When that brain of ours feels a little weary and a little overloaded, it's not just going to take flash, pep and jazz to move us off of our ergonomic office chair. Instead, we'll respond to intelligence, wit and insight.

So, why don't I tell you something you may not know, in a way you may not have seen, and then ask you to do something for me in return. Visit a url. Call a phone number. Fill out a survey. Cut out a coupon.

And when we get really cozy with one another, I'll give you something bigger, something intangible so that you will do something big for me. I transfer the knowledge. Make you an advocate. Being an advocate gives you immeasurable power. And we create a long-lasting bond.

You Are Your Own Marketer

I want this post to have the most eye-catching, most reader-intriguing title. I want its subject matter to be compelling and helpful. I want the writing to be fluid and a little bit off-the-wall.

I guess, though, what I truly want, isn't as superficial as the above. It's about understanding how you think, how you function.

When you wake up in the morning, what's the first thought that enters your mind?

When you walk into work or school, do you feel nervous, excited, dreadful?

Are you a scatterbrain? Over-thinker? Organizer? Socialite? Leader?

Who are you?

If I, as a marketer and, more importantly, a human being, can even begin to just barely scratch the surface of you then I'm making progress.

And that's all I desire. Progression. Forward movement. Forward thinking. Hope. Anticipation. Success. But none of this can be possible without you.

No marketer is a marketer without a consumer. No company is so without its employees. No success is worthwhile without believers to share it with.

So, I keep writing. I keep trying to understand you. And to even better understand myself. Because if there is anything I hope you can take away from my blog, it is that you are your own marketer, your own force to succeed.

Your message is valuable. Your voice, unstoppable. Your skill, immeasurable. Do what you do with purpose, and I promise to do the same.

Hardship And Heartache: Why Emotion Matters In Marketing

Marketing is every definition you'll find in a textbook. Every single linear explanation of good/service, want/need, and satisfaction. But making marketing matter, making marketing powerful must come from a deeper place.

In any environment, under any circumstance, my work as a marketer matters to me. I care about it, all of it. No word, no colour, no decision exists without a little bit of me inside of it. Many will say this is foolish. Business is business, right? It's not personal. For me, that's where the real foolishness resides.

Take a moment to ponder the great successes of our time (marketing and otherwise). Do you not think those products and successes were personal? Making your work personal, instilling emotion, when necessary, is a means to success.

When that end product is not just a derivative of tasked work created from monotonous thoughts and movements, it holds you inside of it. And because it holds you, it also holds your emotions -- passion, praise, weakness and strength. And emotion is powerful.

As marketing moves away from interruptive strategies and towards compelling storytelling, marketers will rely more and more on emotion. On evoking a particular emotional response from the recipient of the marketing message. It's because that emotional response weaves a bond. A bond which can lead to a purchase, to loyalty, to advocacy.

Gates, Jobs, Page and Brin -- some of the geniuses of our time -- channel the hardship and heartache they are forced to endure into positive emotion -- because when it matters to you, the marketer, there's a greater chance it will matter to you, the consumer.

Intention to Create, Sell And Buy

Intent -- the act of doing something with a specific purpose -- consolidates the marketer and the consumer. These predetermined roles become transferrable. The marketer leaves work, walks into a mall and is transformed into a consumer. The consumer leaves work, receives some communication or makes a purchase, and becomes a marketer outfitted with the power of voice and opinion.

Intention is action and direction with a desired outcome already perceived. Intent must be possessed by the marketer and created for the consumer.

These are my 3 tiers of intent:

Intent to Create
The organization's or marketer's decision to develop something new, something different and/or something revisited.

The intent to create does not need to be solely based in originality. But rather, what is original for the specific circumstance and situation of the organization in question. As simple an idea as a webinar, if never produced by an organization before, is a nugget of the intent to create.

How much easier it always is to say rather than do. But intent must demand action, so that action can demand result. A webinar is just a word, just an idea until someone owns the intent to create.

Intent to Sell
The organization's or marketer's decision to sell, for profit or not, a good or service with perceived value for the consumer.

The development, nurture and creation of an idea is not a prerequisite to the intent to sell. On the other hand, the intent to create need not be followed with an intent to sell. That is to say, the creation of a good or service will not always be saleable.

The intent to sell is to move beyond the concept of a single, valuable good or service and generate a 'product' equipped with identity, price, promotion, distribution and communication.

Intent to Buy
The consumer's journey to reach a purchase decision; at this stage, the paths of marketer and consumer have crossed at least once.

The intent to create only indirectly influences the intent to buy, since without creation, purchase is not possible. The intent to sell, however, must exist and be fully and wholly delivered to the consumer in order facilitate a purchase.

All aspects of the intent to sell mentioned above -- message, brand, value, etc. -- are channelled to the consumer as a complete and influential marketing effort. These many parts will create the consumer's intent to buy. And subsequently, with the intent to buy, the consumer officially assumes the role of marketer.

Removing ‘Can’t’ And ‘Won’t’ From Your Vocabulary

Negativity brings us down and takes us out. It paints a portrait of impossibility -- making what could be into what can't be.

As marketers, it is our responsibility to change what is now into what has never been. Meaning, it is about challenging yourself / your department / your cohorts into thinking differently. But the inherent caveat of thinking differently is fear. Fear that any novel, innovative idea you ponder will actually turn out to be unrealistic or too risky or too 'impossible'!

If you find yourself constantly saying that you can't or won't do something, then you might as well let them take your marketing license away! Guess what, you can't practice this specialty anymore.

Extending the possibilities and limiting and extinguishing the fear of risk and failure is the epitome of marketing well. Why? Because you refuse to be boxed in by the restrictions of the negative.

Equally as detrimental is thinking that your customers also can't or won't. How do you know? Have you tried? Are you basing this on your own previous experience or those of others? And does any of that really matter? Because, and here's the genius, your job as a marketer is to be as smart as possible to dictate what your customers can and will do.

Your voice, power and influence. Their voice, power and influence. Find the balance, take the risk, and forget the 'n'ts'.

The Art of Marketing: A Grand Success

Seth Godin. Mitch Joel. Sally Hogshead. Max Lenderman. James Othmer. Dan Heath. Six marketers, authors and visionaries brought together by The Art of Marketing, a conference inherently designed to radically change how you live in the wonderful world of marketing.

The Art of Marketing

Yesterday, I was in the midst of an awe-inspiring conglomerate of thinkers, or to take a page from Godin, geniuses. The energy that these six individuals emitted into the massive room of 1,600 ("...of the top marketers in Canada," as MC Ron Tite repeatedly put it and I didn't mind!) was palpable and envious.

I must admit that the day is still a bit of a haze as I gather my thoughts, learnings and inspiration for my future in marketing, so what follows is a brief summation (with more to come!) of the 6 sessions:

Mitch Joel -- Six Pixels of Separation
Right off the top, funny and engaging, and Mitch knew what he was talking about. I trusted him immediately and that is a wonderful tone to set for the marketing event of my year.

Key Takeaway: Burn your ship and press ctrl+alt+del on your marketing. Start over with a fresh slate and outlook, and focus on caring about who not how many.

Seth Godin -- Creativity, Innovation & Leadership
When Seth walked onto that stage, I tweeted that I would've had goosebumps if it wasn't so hot in the room! It's true. When the almighty guru of marketing decides to grace you with his presence, you can't help but hang onto his every last syllable. What makes Seth the best: engagement. He tells a story that means something, and he tells it with an authenticity that is near impossible to fake.

Key Takeaway: Decide whether or not you're a genius. A genius is someone who solves interesting problems in novel, unexpected ways. To hone that genius, abandon the factory, the manual, the status quo and the lizard brain so that what you're left with is leadership, change and success.

Sally Hogshead -- Persuasion, Influence & Fascination
So can we please hear it for a whole lot of female empowerment? Sally was beyond sincere, down-to-earth and expressive in all the right ways. And frankly put, I want to be her friend.

Key Takeaway: You and your brand need to be fascinating. And by being fascinating, you ensure that you're telling the right story to those who want to listen.

James Othmer -- Branding & Storytelling
Admittedly, he was a nervous speaker, and I'm sure the 1,600 sets of eyeballs didn't help. But James' forward-thinking ethos connected tradition with what is yet to come.

Key Takeaway: The lines are blurring between mediums. It is now the marketer's responsibility to minimize the tension between art, commerce and ethics, which make up the brand.

Max Lenderman -- Experiential Marketing
A young guy with a broad view and an equally far-reaching voice. Max was an experience, and, as he likes to put it, experience makes people act. Again, he reiterated those central and all-powerful themes of leadership, engagement and connectivity.

Key Takeaway: Think of and integrate the visceral experience in your marketing.

Dan Heath -- Marketing Strategy and an Elephant
An all-round (but very pleasurable to listen to) smarty pants. Dan drove home the importance of change. Giving it an human edge and perspective by offering an analytical exposé of the mind. I might like to be a fly on the wall of his brain.

Key Takeaway: Rational vs. Emotional. The Rider vs. The Elephant. If you want to create change, you must acknowledge and understand the roles of both the rider and the elephant. And then you must learn how to get them to do what you want.

Brilliance in Eight Hours or Less
Every speaker offered me wisdom. Every speaker offered me a choice. In sum, they found a way to cram brilliance into 8 hours or less. And if I do have the choice, I choose genius and change and leadership and fascination and engagement. We should all be so lucky to do the same.

‘Windows 7′ vs. ‘Mac vs. PC’

One of the most widely entertaining marketing rivalries in years: which side are you on, Apple or Microsoft?

On October 22nd, everyone in the tech community was awaiting the official release of Microsoft's eagerly (though atypically) anticipated new OS -- Windows 7. Vista, Microsoft's previous OS release, was a flop, so they needed to come back strong, arms flailing and voices loud to show Mac who's boss.

But, wait a second, what did Mr. Jobs and his Apple dominion do on October 21st, well, they decided (perhaps a little strategically!) to release a new line of iMacs. Now with their updated OS, Snow Leopard, incredible wide screens boasting better-than-HD resolution and with plenty more GB and GHz to please the masses.

Less than a couple weeks later, the following two ads popped up on TV:


Message: Microsoft's back, better than ever and this time they've listened to what their consumers want and have successfully delivered.


Message: Apple, instead, banks on Microsoft's less-than-perfect track record of releasing one successful OS followed by one failed OS, as if on purpose .... 'broken promises'.

It's exciting to watch this battle unfold. Apple has always had the innovative, marketing edge from design to packaging to advertising to MacWorld and all the rest. Microsoft has had the market share with a big, bad wolf mentality.

But as Apple continues to grow and edges its way more and more into the enterprise space both it and Microsoft face considerable challenges. How does Apple sustain its high quality level of innovation? and How does Microsoft break a path of inconsistency and broken promises?

Attention to Detail

Taking the time to be detail-oriented encompasses the difference between acting quickly and acting intelligently.

How you can be more detail-oriented:

   -- Listen before you respond -- Equivalent to "think before you act." Listen to your peers, colleagues, superiors AND competition in order to better understand a situation.
   -- Review, and then review again -- Time consuming but valuable. Each time work is completed force yourself to review it from a different perspective. Textually. Graphically. As a customer. As a competitor. Etc.
   -- Take notice of insignificant details -- Whatever it is that you deem insignificant now -- from word choice to colour to tone -- inflate it with importance and take notice.
   -- Understand that you can be your own worst enemy -- Trying too hard, overanalyzing, and not understanding your own strengths and weaknesses will lead to your demise. Therefore, paying attention to yourself is equally as important as paying attention to what surrounds you and the work you produce.
   -- Criticize -- Consciously criticize your work. Push yourself to improve (even when you think it's perfect), understand your capabilities, and incite growth. The ultimate result is you'll have taught yourself how to pay attention to details by breaking down your work into its many multi-faceted pieces and reassembling it leaving no area unscathed to harsh criticism.

Great marketing is in the details. It is those details that make gargantuan, flashy campaigns industry successes. It is those same details that can render size and resources insignificant. It's simply your job as a marketer to pay attention.

Event Marketing 101 – Part 2: Pre-Planning

Now you have the basics. Your event has a name, a purpose, a prospective audience, a budget, and a date. But did you forget that your date needs a venue?

Let's discuss the Pre-planning or pre-launch logistics of the event:

   - Workback Schedule - Before proceeding any further, develop a workback schedule outlining all the major milestone tasks and activities that need to be completed and the date they need to be completed by. The level of detail is a personal preference but having one place you can consistently refer to helps simplify the process. Try project management software to help you along, see Basecamp (popular) or AtTask (my preference) or a handy Excel spreadsheet.

   - Venue - The venue is the perfect opportunity to set the tone and level of expectation for the event. I have a preference for professional, high-class and all-inclusive. Venues must be booked well in-advance, 6-12 months to ensure you get the date of choice.

Consider how many people in total will be attending the event (including registrants, non-paid attendees, staff, speakers etc.), your venue must accommodate them all comfortably. Conference-style rooms with the ability to house theatre-style chairs or round tables with a stage and appropriate technology including podiums, projectors and screens, mics, sound system, internet access, video recording, and temperature control. Higher-class venues will have all this included but be prepared for a hefty price tag.

Also consider the location of the venue, geography is important and the venue must be accessible to local attendees and those travelling from abroad.

   - Launch Date - You should now have the day of your event and the venue. Next step is to set a launch date. When will you begin marketing the event externally? When will registration for the event open? Set a soft start date and a hard start date. Ideally, if all goes smoothly, launch will occur on the soft start date but ultimately cannot start any later than the hard date!

   - Agenda - I believe the agenda is the heart and soul of any event. It's why people are coming, it's why your organization is spending all this time and money, and it's a built-in marketing tool.

The agenda should be complete (or as close to complete as possible) before registration is opened and the event launched. Prospective attendees want to know what they're paying and, to be blunt, they deserve to.

The agenda planning process involves developing the day's schedule by timing out registration, breakfast, sessions, breaks and other applicable occurrences. Session titles and topics must be brainstormed and refined and scheduled accordingly. This can be an exceedingly lengthy process because at the core of these sessions is the message you want to deliver -- content must be interesting, relevant, novel, and exciting; it may also need to be technical, interactive, and demonstrative.

From here, prospective speakers must be proposed. Create a collaborative list of who would/could readily grab hold of a topic and make it their own, which leads us to....

   - Speakers - By now, you should have a list of possible speakers assigned to possible topics. The hard part is convincing these speakers to take the time to not only present on the day of the event but also construct entire presentations around possibly spoon-fed topics.

Use your network. Use your executives. Call, make personal requests and sell the brilliance of your event. Elaborate on the the marketing opportunity it provides to the speaker's organizations and the networking interaction they will benefit from.

Remember, big names from big companies never hurt!

Keep in mind the logistics associated with speakers such as cost, hotels and accommodations, flights, presentation templates and approval and special speaker perks. What will you be responsible for and what onus is theirs?

   - Sponsors - Sponsorship packages are a lovely way to entice attendees. It is also an effective way to foster strong relationships with partners, customers and the like within the industry that do not mind lending their name and their money to your event.

There should be packages of varying price ranges with respective levels of branding opportunities. Packages can include everything from lanyards to name tags to signage to targeted speaking sessions. Determine what branding and co-hosting opportunities should be made available at each tier and then assign each a price tag.

Again, that network comes in awful handy. Contact companies with the means and capitalize on strong relationships where mutual benefit can be emphasized and the event as a marketing opportunity can be highlighted.

   - Catering - Catering can easily become a negotiating nightmare. With often too many options to choose from and inflated pricing structures, the decision is a difficult one.

Some venues offer preferred caterers, which helps refine your options from the get-go. Acquire preliminary menus and determine what style of food you will be offering for breakfast, lunch, breaks and/or even dinner. Continental or Premium? Cold or hot? Beverages per person and staff service at the event.

Retrieve quotes and negotiate the price down. Choose your preferred caterer and you're done! I've outlined this to be much simpler than it is. Rely on recommendations from others and do not be easily caught up in the swirl of menu options. Catering will quickly become a large part of your budget, sometimes rearing the ugly 30% mark! But food's important, so don't skimp.

NEXT: Launch & Registration

Event Marketing 101 – Part 1

This week I will be featuring a five-part series on Event Marketing, in which I will explore the many areas of planning a conference-style event. I have had the opportunity to manage - from beginning to end - a full-day professional 250 attendee conference featuring 22+ speakers, 7+ sponsors and 12 information-style sessions.

Event Marketing is an aggregate of event coordination, management, promotion and execution. It can also be referred to as Event Planning or Event Management. Since there are a plethora of areas that fall under the Event Marketing umbrella, I have split up my discussion into five sections:
    1. Development
    2. Pre-Planning
    3. Launch & Registration
    4. Marketing & Collateral
    5. Execution

DEVELOPMENT (At least 6 months prior to event date)

The development phase consists of the initial stages of the event planning process, wherein the purpose, goals, and founding principles are laid out. Before you can begin discussing venues and catering, your team must collaborate on the fundamentals of the event.

These include:
   - Event Focus - What is the purpose of this event? Is it to sell your product/service? Stimulate knowledge and awareness of your business? Draw attention to the growth in your sector or industry? Or, perhaps, all of the above?

Without knowing the direction of your event, nothing else is possible. Clearly define its purpose and its goals.

For example, The Simren Marketing Event (better title TBD!) will delve into 3 critical streams of Marketing which will include digital, direct and guerilla, each stream will explore current trends, past successes and failures and the opportunity to hear from the greatest in the field.

This is a working thesis. It defines the purpose of my event -- to bring marketers together to learn in a knowledge-based environment brought to you by yours truly.

The goals can range from increasing ROI by x% to garnering x number of leads or simply making x number of new contacts. You must be the expert in your field. As such, you must know what is most feasible and likely to succeed.

   - A Name - So, you just witnessed my crass attempt at coming up with a name for my event. At some point during the Development phase, a name should be decided upon. Acronyms are great, many organizations use them but it doesn't mean you have to. Be clear and concise and avoid being long-winded (which is where most acronyms are born, by the way!)

   - Target Audience - Who will you invite to attend? Customers, Partners, Business Associates, Thought Leaders, Journalists? Do you have a large enough network to extrapolate from or will you need the assistance of a third-party company?

Again, define your target audience. Parse out the implications of demographics, psychographics and geography. How many are you aiming to attract? In my case, it was 250 and we successfully exceeded that target. But remember to be realistic and consider the economics involved.

   - Budget, Price & Money - If your organization is even considering hosting an event from a mid- to large-scale I will take the leap of faith and believe it can handle the costs headed its way. Events are not cheap, especially when planned correctly and professionally. Pre-plan your budget with the appropriate departments and determine what number is feasible to spend. In the coming days, I will breakdown the specific areas to focus on but you need to know your limits beforehand.

Also, pre-plan a buffer into your budget for the possibility (the very-likely possibility) of incurring overages during the process.

Lastly, will you charge attendees an entry fee? How much? $60, $100, $150, $500 +? Do you plan to earn a profit from the event? Once again, consider the economy and the industry and what makes your event worthy of purchasing a ticket.

   - When? - The 'when' can really come at any stage during the Development phase, not necessarily at the end. There are politics involved in what date you choose, much of which is based on industry norms concerning downtime and seasonal fluctuations. As a rule-of-thumb, summer is a disadvantageous time to hold events because numerous people are on vacation thereby de-prioritizing your event and negatively impacting its influence as an industry standard.

Registration during the summer months is also exceedingly difficult though not impossible, so keep in mind what unwritten rules your industry abides by.

Also, in terms of days of the week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are considered prime for single-day events, since Mondays and Fridays are write-offs as they bookend the week and Thursdays are often tossed due to their proximity to Friday but not entirely inadvisable. Multi-day or exhibition-style events are not the focus of this series but many of these fundamentals are fluid and can still be readily applied.

NEXT: Pre-Planning

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Name: Simren Deogun