Consumer Behavior

October 10, 2011

Moments of Truth Cartoon – EenieMeenieMineyMo: Bring Objective Intelligence to the Marketing Process

As most marketers can attest to, campaign, positioning and messaging development all rely heavily on “process.” While process is important, how much does our reliance on it compensate for a void of objective intelligence?

Alan Zorfas

by Alan Zorfas

Co Founder & Chief Intelligence Officer at Motista

0

 

This is the sixth in a series of cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Tom Fishburne, titled “Moments of Truth,” sponsored by Motista.

By Alan Zorfas

In the latest marketoon in our series, we must say congratulations to our hero, the marketer, who has applied an objective methodology to make her “recommendation” to her boss. Her honesty is refreshing, isn’t it?

Approving major campaign investments is nerve-racking enough! At least our fearless marketer has supplemented her “gut” with the ever-reliable “EenieMeenieMineyMo” method. Using that method, even “chance” doesn’t look so bad!

The decision maker here also deserves some of our sympathy. He could be a CMO or an executive outside the marketing department. He sits there, at the end of a long planning process, probably sweating bullets, about to give “C” his blessing. What’s he thinking?

“How do we really know ‘C’ is the smartest thing we can do? Was there a D, E or F? The team and agency worked so hard, how can I say ‘no’ now? I guess this is the campaign development process…I’ll look foolish if I reject their recommendation. But, once ‘C’ starts running, everyone will blame me! What if it bombs?”

The real question here is: What’s missing from the equation that we really have to think hard about? As most marketers can attest to, campaign, positioning and messaging development all rely heavily on “process.” While process is important, how much does our reliance on it compensate for a void of objective intelligence? If we had, on hand, objective intelligence on how consumers connect to our brand, and which of those connections matter most in driving action, then we could better frame and justify our decisions. Instead, we turn to our basket of tricks to help us narrow in on “the winner.” They range from simple, down-and-dirty one-off quant studies (sometimes also referred to as “CYAs”) to sophisticated copy testing for recall, persuasion and other key measures like “I got the main message.”

Unavoidably, “processes” are infused with subjectivity. Campaigns are largely influenced by opinions and views, willingly or not. And, within any team dynamic, some folks’ opinions always count more. But, ultimately, the questions we ask and the hidden biases we share on day one shape the trajectory of the entire project.

I am a huge proponent of process and the human contribution it demands. But what the marketer and her management counterpart deserve is a framework of objective intelligence on what’s motivating consumers of their brand to choose, use and advocate. When marketers have intelligence available on the front- and back-end of our processes, we can feel a whole lot better about our decisions and move beyond handy methods like “EenieMeenieMineyMo.”

0

businessconsumer behaviormarketingsocial media

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

Comments

Comments are moderated to ensure respect towards the author and to prevent spam or self-promotion. Your comment may be edited, rejected, or approved based on these criteria. By commenting, you accept these terms and take responsibility for your contributions.

More from Alan Zorfas

Research Methodologies

Moments of Truth Cartoon: When ‘Life Insurance’ is Not “Trending”

A light take on seeking consumer intelligence from social media monitoring.

Alan Zorfas

Alan Zorfas

Co Founder & Chief Intelligence Officer at Motista

Insights Industry News

Moments of Truth: Interpretive Dance

What most matters is what motivates consumers in their lives to choose, pay more and advocate for a brand.

Alan Zorfas

Alan Zorfas

Co Founder & Chief Intelligence Officer at Motista

Research Methodologies

Moments of Truth: Social Chatter

While social media provides unprecedented convenience, does it really tell us the “why” in what’s motivating consumers in their lives?

Alan Zorfas

Alan Zorfas

Co Founder & Chief Intelligence Officer at Motista

Research Methodologies

Moments of Truth: The Insight Guru

Alan Zorfas shares three critical comments about “how it’s done” exposed in Tom Fishburne’s Marketoon.

Alan Zorfas

Alan Zorfas

Co Founder & Chief Intelligence Officer at Motista

ARTICLES

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Research Methodologies

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Why are we still measuring brand loyalty? It isn’t something that naturally comes up with consumers, who rarely think about brand first, if at all. Ma...

Devora Rogers

Devora Rogers

Chief Strategy Officer at Alter Agents

The Stepping Stones of Innovation: Navigating Failure and Empathy with Carol Fitzgerald
Natalie Pusch

Natalie Pusch

Senior Content Producer at Greenbook

Sign Up for
Updates

Get what matters, straight to your inbox.
Curated by top Insight Market experts.

67k+ subscribers

Weekly Newsletter

Greenbook Podcast

Webinars

Event Updates

I agree to receive emails with insights-related content from Greenbook. I understand that I can manage my email preferences or unsubscribe at any time and that Greenbook protects my privacy under the General Data Protection Regulation.*