During my long strange trip over the past two months, I’ve had occasion to meet a number of my fellow Chief Marketing Officers, and have arrived at a typology (some might call it spacial profiling) for the spectrum of professionals and others who fill the role of the voice of the consumer and driver of revenue within their organization.
Just like the personalities of our children, the way we evolve as professionals is a function of both nature and nurture. Some that I have met recently must have been raised in a Dickens novel; others could be found alongside Gandhi, hanging with the other good eggs and spreading the good news. And a lot fall into the middle.
Here, in my humble opinion, are the various types of marketing people. Note that this is a composite of types and according to my attorney, does not represent or intend to represent any actual person, living or professionally dead.
See if you can recognize any of the traits in anyone you know:
Consumer Packaged Goods Snob
Strengths: Brings a wealth of fact based marketing acumen to most situations.
Excellent in process
Understands the role of all the marketing “P’s”
Weaknesses: Can be narrow minded and pedantic in their approach
Repeats stories about their previous national brand ad nauseum
Propensity to get caught up in their knickers
Drinks: Bonarda
Drives: Lexus 300
Wears: Brooks Brothers (even the women)
The Brand Effete
(Closely related to the agency refugee below, but more often a creative type)
Strengths: Understands the value and strength of a powerful brand
Excellent taste
Consummate smoozer
Weaknesses: Consummate smoozer
Doesn’t sully themselves with the minor things like driving revenue
Always looking for their next gig
Drinks: Whatever was featured in Saveur this month
Drives: Lives on the Upper East side, so they don’t
Wears: Designers I can't spell or pronounce, but always in black or red
Sales Person in Marketing Clothing
Strengths: Laser focused on driving revenue
Great at directing marketing that drives action
Good with those outside the company
Weaknesses: Bad follow up
Butt kisser
Did I mention bad follow-up
Drinks: Like a fish
Drives: BMW; like a bat out of hell
Wears: Hugo Boss
Utility Player
Strengths: A great balance between practical execution and strategic insight
Peace makers (usually a middle child)
Well-liked across constituencies
Weaknesses: Prone to be stabbed in the back
Plodder with a propensity to be an order taker
Takes the safe choice
Drinks: Whatever you’re having
Drives: Volvo Cross Country
Wears: A lot of Dockers
Agency Refugee
Strengths: Great at execution of marketing programs at reasonable costs
Give good PowerPoint
Works well with outside agencies
Weaknesses: Too skewed to “the brand”
Competes with sales leadership
Toady
Drinks: Vodka and anything
Drives: E-series Mercedes
Wears: Armani
Like I said at the beginning, these are composites. Do any of them ring true to you? What types did I miss?
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