I am studying public relations at uni, many people have dropped out because they think they can learn PR and Marketing on the job, or question why PR is important, however the gap is that us people with a degree have been taught strategy. so when you hire a PR or Marketing consultant request a communication/marketing plan.

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Jo Macdermott Reply:
June 3rd, 2011 at 9:12 am

that is very disappointing, there is much to learn on the job, however a degree is a very important foundation.  All the best.

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Jo, Bravo!! I love it. What a beautifully sharp assessment. My last corporate job, I joked in my interview about some people believing marketing was “the department of colouring in”.
The reality is that some who have come from a product/sales driven industry dont have the education to understand the discipline of customer insight, segmentation and measurement.

And yes Marketing is like studying Economics, Commerce, Psychology and even Law. There re  range of fundamental insights including accounting, statistics, research, consumer behaviour, Competitive Strategy and Trade Practices Act. Not to mention being conversant with Privacy Law, the Spam Act and compliance issues.

Sales is not Marketing nor is graphic design or making things pretty. Its a thought process that is analytical, creative and strategic. Thanks Jo !!!

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Jo Macdermott Reply:
June 3rd, 2011 at 9:11 am

Thanks Jen, i like your final analogy, very accurate and powerful.  cheers

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Nice article Jo, but I must say that the reason that fake marketers get away with it is for a few reasons:

- marketers have spent far too long being manipulators (hence our bad reputation as a conglomerate).
- Marketing, as a service, is very difficult to assess from the outside. Consultants and agencies tend to have a real sameness in how they present. Basically: 1) here are our services, 2) we are very good at these services 3) here are some clients of ours.
The skill of presenting marketing services is a form of marketing, and these fake marketers are very good at it. Your article is a great first step in addressing this.
They epitomize the all style-no substance approach to life. But they succeed in their mission of extracting cash from those who need help. This should not be about exposing fakes so much as clearly showing everyone what a good marketer is.

But I’d also add one more point to the criteria:
“a real marketer listens first, and speaks second. Information gathering is essential to providing good advice”

Thanks for that, very good read.

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Jo Macdermott Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 5:10 am

Hi Mat – I really like “a real marketer listens first, and speaks second”.  Thanks for your note.  cheers

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That’s an interesting post as a marketer my thoughts on the matter are simply this.

Its results that count within a budget and acceptable time frame. The system that I use to help people with their inbound marketing, has lots of information about where the sources of the traffic comes from, how many leads etc. In short you can measure ROI.

There is no hiding from results, so when you are choosing someone to help you with your marketing ask them for examples of their results and if you are serious about dealing with them see if you can talk to some of their past clients.

Mark Wheatley

http://www.integrated-marketing.co.uk

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Some really great points, Jo. It frustrates us to no end in our particular industry. Experiential marketing is often seen as a ‘new’ communications channel, and a lot of unqualified companies have sprung up over the last 2 years – preying on those who have yet to conduct marketing campaigns of this nature. What they often fail to see is the marketing strategy that’s involved – and that it’s not just about creating an event, or handing out a can of drink. They don’t know how to link a brands core values to the campaign.

Unfortunately, unqualified companies across the board achieve one thing – they completely devalue the work of the more capable companies. Having said this, the shonky operators are usually weeded out – not always, but often. Education is key – shop around. If a marketing / communications agency wants to talk more about where your brand is heading, rather than where your brand is heading for this one and only campaign, they are thinking long term – that’s what you want from a true partner. They should want to work alongside you, not simply provide the answers on a Powerpoint presentation.

It’s interesting that it seems people often spend more time choosing their phone carrier, than they would a company to work on one of their biggest assets – their brand.

Thanks again for the article.

Cheers,
Steve Fontanot
Director
Chieftain Communications Pty Ltd
http://www.chieftaincomms.com.au

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Jo Macdermott Reply:
July 2nd, 2011 at 5:35 am

Thanks Steve, some very wise words there.  cheers

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