The theory that big data is bullshit was coined by journalists or consultants who love to pontificate while never actually having to produce accurate results. It doesn’t matter where you went to school or what company you worked for; what makes a great marketing person is a keen understanding of today’s consumers and the ability to tell a story and believe in what you’re marketing.
Big data is a buzzword, and too many B2 B organizations see it as an opportunity to sell marketing departments software that can supposedly provide a wealth of insights. In addition, journalists and consultants love to write about big data because it’s the next big thing. First of all, big data can be a huge minefield that can take months of meetings and time to figure out, and secondly, big data tells you what has happened in the past or what will happen in the future.
So, if not big data, what makes a great marketing person? Here is my list…
1ne: They live, breathe, and sleep marketing. It’s hard for them not to read an article on marketing without having a definite opinion and wanting to share their thoughts.
2wo: They need to get into their customers’ heads. They want to know and understand why and why not.
3hree: They have their fingers on their competitor’s pulse.
4our: They read everything they can get their hands on regarding marketing and today’s consumers.
5ive: When reading research reports, they consider the source to determine if there is a conflict of interest or whether the author is a journalist or marketer.
6ix: Rather than attend marketing conferences, they are conducting qualitative research.
7even: They don’t fall for the social media marketing hype.
8eight: They hold their agencies accountable for complex business-driven metrics.
9ine: They don’t care about their titles. To them, marketing success is company success.
10en: They are considered the go-to person when it comes to questions on marketing and branding.
Do you have others?
