Re-winding by @rishadt

A podcast on marketing and agency innovation

Slaying Our Inner Dinosaur

( I wrote this article for Point/Ad Age 7 years ago and when i looked at it again it seems to be as true today….this was before social, mobile, and more…)

Change.

It is all around us. We all talk about it. We are buffeted by it. We go to conferences about it. We hand down edicts and issue press releases about change initiatives.

But individually we abhor it.  Change sucks.  Particularly for decision makers.

Change exposes us to vulnerability and loss: of control, of clout, of turf and of face. It demeans the very currency of expertise, seniority, networks and image we spend decades building. How dare some pompous young pup, some fresh idea, some innovative technology, some fearless startup or bossy consumer challenge us?

We let our inner dinosaur roar and roam unleashed against these threatening changes to our ecosystem by indulging in a two-step dance. First we justify our refusal to change:

• Blame our myopic bosses who are approaching retirement or the organization that has too much money riding on status quo.
• Attribute inaction to the profit pressures and business realities we carry on our shoulders.
• Suggest the Client or Customer gave only lip service to change readiness.
• Rebuke the employees.  They are not trained or motivated for this stuff.
•  Exhume specimens from the when-things-went-wrong-like-the-dot-com-bust graveyard.
•  Wait for others to find the landmines.  What happens to P&G when they do it?  (As a reinvigorated P&G often does.) 

The second step is Marketing Botox—little injections of temporary surface embellishments to distract from real change.  Common manifestations:

• Hire a talent agency, word of mouth agency, or niche agency, then issue a press release and do nothing.
• Re-launch a quiet, unsupported brand with a small budget dedicated to non-traditional media.
• Announce the retention of a consultant who, over the next 18 months, will benchmark and develop a plan of action.
• Launch a Vision or Change 2020 task force to “get out in front” of change.

If you are guilty of one or more of the above tactics, you have inner dinosaur disease (IDD).  Here are some weapons that can help you slay IDD.

1.   Own change. If you change, others will follow.  If they do not, change your partners, or your options.

2 Allocate your time differently. Instead of spending days in a planning process just to duplicate last year’s media recommendations, spend time with consumers and find out what media and messages they actually consume.  And instead of recommending the traditional stuff that you are good at, master something new that really resonates with consumers. 

By the same token, instead of attending seven of the standard industry conferences, attend only five and add a Wired or iMedia or Ad:tech to your agenda. A re-allocation of even 10 percent of your time will send a powerful signal to your organization, but more importantly it will educate you on some new things you need to know.

3. Empower the Iconoclasts. There are many talented revolutionaries within your corporate environment, but they are often dismissed as “too junior” to add value.  Seek out your best thinkers at any level or age.  Listen to them, give them a platform and the support they need to achieve their goals. Encourage them to attack your ideas, your company. Too many marketers get delusional surrounded by sycophants who either fear them or lust for the dollars they control.  Cut it out.

4. Learn privately and anonymously: The web is a great place to learn. Google your company and investigate the results.  Study your own brand, your competitors and the things you do not know much about. Ask people to recommend sites and weblogs.. And remember those conferences you decided to attend?  Go as an individual and not as some marketing honcho from some big company. That way you can learn without a constant sales pitch ringing in your ear.

5. Finally, fight inertia like tooth decay.  Too often we self-edit ourselves, fearful of crossing a line.  Or we wait for permission.   Remember you do not know where the line is until you cross it.  Let ethics guide you and start changing things. Now. You will be surprised to find that people will not stop you but most likely will follow you.

And the inner dinosaur will gradually become extinct.

The Future Of Marketing. My keynote at the OPA