happy new year

happy new year

It’s been the Christmas and new year period, and over the break some introspection occurred, along with the pud, family connections and some nice wine.

One of the insights that emerged was the application of Clayton Christianson’s “job to be done” idea to marketing, and specifically the manner in which I approach the task of developing, selling and delivering Intellectual Capital.

As I thought about what is was going to take to be successful in 2015, I needed to ask, and answer three pretty basic questions:

  • What is it that I do every day?
  • Why would people hire me?
  • How can I help them do their job better?

When I worked my way through those, the answer was pretty simple.

The job of a marketer is to discover, develop, and tell interesting and engaging stories to people who care, who may receive value from the experience an wisdom contained in the stories, and who may take an action as a result that delivers them some benefit.

The job is not to make ads, or create blog posts or posters, it is to identify the ways that as marketers we can bridge the divide between what people are looking for, the challenges and opportunities they face, and how we can help them with the task of “finding.”

I trust 2015 will be a good year for us all, at least better than 2014.

Our families, friends, colleagues, and those who are in great need around this shrinking world need some simple wisdom, helping hand and quiet counsel, and it is up to us collectively to give that to them as we can, in the best way we can.

Happy new year.

Allen