62% of responders to a recent survey thought that marketing had become more important during the pandemic...
“I’m no expert but...” Four words to roll the eyes of experts. These are the words of the punter harassing the sound engineer; the hospital-visiting relative giving the nurse the benefit of their medical understanding; the driver leaning over the mechanic’s shoulder to peer under the bonnet and offer advice on camshafts, and of course the parent of the perfect child pontificating to the teacher about the way the system is failing...well...the perfect child. It’s always been the same, though. The world is full of people who know best, when clearly their knowledge of a particular subject could be inscribed on the head of a pin.
Operating within the music and professional audio spheres, I’ve encountered a pretty fair share of armchair wisdom being directed at actual experts, and I always enjoy the responses, which can range from straight-faced, feigned interest, to rather more blunt exhortations to go forth and multiply. If you’re a non-expert in pretty much everything (like me), it’s sensible to keep one’s counsel, although recently I found myself asking loud internal questions about pronouncements being made concerning ‘marketing during a pandemic’ by a bona fide ‘businessman’.
Why, said the self-appointed guru of many trades, would you try and do marketing in a pandemic? ESPECIALLY when no-one can go out and...y’know do stuff? NO-ONE is going to be spending money on stuff when they can’t do stuff...so save your money and slash your marketing and advertising costs. I confess, working for a marketing company (although not as an expert), to feeling a little exasperated by this view. Surely, I thought, if you’ve established yourself as a trusted brand you’d be using this (admittedly unprecedented) time to find ways of retaining your customers and building your brand value, wouldn’t you? Surely, I thought, you’d be getting out there and keeping yourself in the eye of the market - because if you don’t, and the pandemic, y’know, finishes - well, you might lose a bit of ground on your competitors. Reluctant to say boo to this particular goose, and determined to refrain from the ‘four words’, I decided to take to the internet, where there might be a chance of finding some data to back my hunch.
And there it was. I was relieved. I’d been talking to one of the 11.1% of people who believe that marketing decreased in importance during the pandemic. Phew! Yes, admittedly it WAS in Marketing Week, and the figures were from the USA but that’s still a pretty big market for stuff isn’t it? And as for digital marketing, you’ve guessed it - it’s flying!
It works then, this marketing lark. We’re here if you need us...