Marketing Methodologies

Choosing not to choose

I’ve read a fair number of marketing books, a lot of marketing blogs, I listen regularly to a few marketing related podcasts, and I’ve even completed a few marketing related certifications.

However, I try to refrain from posting my “reading lists”, and I rarely tout the effectiveness of any of these specific trainings. In my experience with marketing methodologies, it’s best not to choose (yes, reader, even that one methodology that you LOVE and paid so much to be certified in).

As a field, marketing is interesting in that a lot of people in the field were not formally educated in “marketing”. There are a number of reasons for this. First, marketing is so closely tied to “business”, as far as degrees go, that many people formally receive marketing training as a part of business degrees. But also, and more importantly, marketing to me is less of a finite practice or framework, and actually fairly hard to be formally educated in. The best way to learn is by experience, because marketing really is more of an exploratory art, centered around finding what “works”, and therefore is constantly in flux.

So, the best methodology is really no methodology. But with experience in “all” methodologies. Similar to how doctors must go through rotations in various disciplines while they are in medical school, I think marketers would benefit from being well-versed in all of the methodologies. However, when there is an emergency on an airplane, the stewardess will simply ask if there are any doctors on the plane. They don’t inquire about specialties or what they practice for a living. Just “doctor”.

In the same way that any doctor is generally equipped to address health concerns, any marketer should generally be equipped to address business concerns.

And that requires having no specific methodology.