Are you a marketing vampire?

This is Colin, the energy vampire from the show 'What We Do in the Shadows'. Colin works in an office and drains energy from his coworkers (unlike the other traditional vampires he lives with in Long Island). We've all worked with a fair number of 'Colins', haven't we? That's why this character is so funny. 

‘Hey, have you heard how many CEOs are asking their employees to return to the office?’ asked my marketing buddy, Jim. ‘They have no research to show that this will make the workplace more productive.'

'But you know why the CEOs say they want their employees back in? The real reason? It’s because the CEOs think – this is making our employees happy! There’s got to be something wrong with it if it makes our employees happy!’

A lot of my marketing friends are struggling. I want to understand why high-calibre professionals with extensive experience feel so dejected about the state of their industry.

One complains about being micromanaged and treated like a child by a CMO who doesn’t understand his job.

Another who almost killed herself for her job – literally gave up her social life – only to be dumped two years into the job – and replaced by someone less experienced and cheaper. 

I'm sure it'll backfire on the company.

However, someone in finance looked purely at the numbers and thought he was a genius for making this decision. I studied finance and worked as an analyst. It can be tempting to strip everything down to numbers, but that approach can be misleading. As Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, says:

'If the data and the stories don't match, I trust the stories'

During industry downturns and times of low macroeconomic growth, CFOs typically increase their influence in organisations. 

However, when finance is focused on cost control, it should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It may be hasty to let go of essential lynchpins in the organisation and lose talent, knowledge, and a culture critical to a company's success. 

As this article demonstrates, Finance & Marketing are trying to achieve the same goals. It's just that sometimes their approaches are different. 

What about my other friend, who confessed that he might consider switching from his career in marketing to becoming a train driver? 😟

Ok, he was laying on a little there! But still, he's had a tough ride recently....

This accomplished marketer has a strong track record and incredible talent. Yet he talks about wanting to leave his profession right now. What’s going on in the marketing world?

Part of it is like the CEO my friend mentioned, making employees return to the office; He suspects his employees must not be working hard if they are happy. 

Have you ever been managed by someone intent on making your job miserable? We all have, right? It's such a wrongheaded and counterproductive approach.

I actually love my job. I love marketing—everything about it. But why does management sometimes seem to want to drain that enjoyment out of it? 

This is what my friend Elizabeth Lotardo wrote about - a fictional character called 'Rudi, a senior marketing manager, who's boss is always changing his mind' 

It is infuriating to be managed like this. Many of my marketing colleagues can relate to Rudi's story. 

If marketing teams are miserable, have little to no psychological safety, and are not valued or respected, they will produce subpar work.

It's human nature - research proves that employees work better with positive affirmation and in a civil and respectful environment.

And I’m afraid that no matter how good the product is or how eloquent the salespeople are, the company will most likely not thrive if the marketing is awful. 

There are countless examples of companies with arguably worse products that beat companies with better products because they had superior marketing, including some of the biggest in the world: Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike and Harley Davidson.

The brand has already been shown to be incredibly important in a company's success. Investors factor brand into their decision-making, and brand has had a value on the balance sheet for a long time. 

Read on to discover why brand is paramount for investors.

And just because your marketing team is enjoying what they do – that’s no reason for concern. In fact, You should be delighted they are doing a good job and having fun!

Many key people think that AI can solve all marketing problems! This is not new—every few years, a new panacea is considered the silver bullet that will solve all marketing woes. 

I've heard many stories about how AI could create fantastic marketing content for virtually nothing (obviously, finance loves this!). 

However, I have yet to see strong evidence that AI-created content delivers results (besides being cheap). 

Will it go the same way as: 

• Big Data
• Agile methodology
• Affiliate Marketing
• Guerilla marketing

Are you 'jumping on the bandwagon'? 

Initially, it was thought that it would solve all ills, but eventually, people came down off their high and realised that it was simply an approach that may work in a limited way if used effectively.

Unlike some of my colleagues, I do not fear losing my passion for marketing. Even in this challenging environment, I am still confident of my future in this profession.

You will always find rewarding work if you are passionate about what you do and are good at your job. At least, I always have. I'm also fortunate because I have a vast network.

I like to remind myself what the genius advertising guru, David Ogilvy once said: 

'Where people aren't having any fun, they seldom produce good work'

That is double or triple true for marketing, which relies so much on creativity and ideas. So let's focus on getting the job done, being polite, treating everyone with respect (you don't know what they are going through), and, above all, enjoying it. 

I don't want to end on a down note. I am immensely grateful to have found a rewarding and highly stimulating vocation I love - one that perfectly fits my strange mix of abilities and personality.

But I must re-iterate - beware of Marketing vampires this Halloween (and the rest of the year) - who may drain you of your passion, and will to live!