March 04, 2010

Bummer For Marketers: We Gotta Do Something.

Here's some big news.

According to an article in Ad Age last week called Why Measurement Alone Will Not Lead To Better Marketing, stuff doesn't automatically get better because we measure it. Apparently, to make it better, we have to do something.

What a bummer.

I guess this means that taking your temperature doesn't make your sore throat go away. And a longer tape measure will not make you taller. And an IQ test doesn't make you smarter.

Damn, nothing's easy anymore.

I can't believe these guys expect us to do something? We can't just drool all over the metrics? We can't just collect data and make spread sheets and print up reports?

We have to think? And have ideas? And, please God no, employ creative people?

In order to reach their brilliant conclusion, the authors interviewed 400 CEOs, CFOs and CMOs. This is not a joke.

I think many of us could have figured this out after interviewing 4 puppy dogs and a cheese grater.

Frankly, I don't see this study sitting at all well with marketers. If there's one thing we marketers hate to do, it's to do something.

But there's a silver lining.

As we learned on Tuesday in In The Year 2015 we only have to do stuff until all the data geniuses take over in 5 years.

Then I guess measurement alone will lead to better marketing. But maybe we ought to interview some more CEOs, just to be sure.

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