14 Rules for Being a Woman in Business

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Today is International Women's Day - a day observed since the early 1900's when expansion and new ideas in the industrialized world led to a massive change in the conversation about the rights of women. Here we are in 2016 and the need for a day like this lives on:

"Almost four in ten businesses in G7 countries have no women in senior management positions. Globally, the proportion of senior business roles held by women stands at 24%, up slightly from 22% in 2015. However, this minor uplift has coincided with an increase in the percentage of firms with no women in senior management, at 33% in 2016 compared to 32% last year."

- Dina Medland in Forbes

I have written in the past about the surprising facts surrounding gender inequality in my own field of marketing. In the study, though women predominantly report more marketing related skills than men, they are paid less to do the same job and disproportionately rise up the corporate ladder to leadership at a slower place than men. According to Bloomberg, even within an "equal playing field" of MBA graduates, women make less than men though they are exactly as qualified.

Until these numbers change, the international media and I will publish article after article exposing the situation and calling for change as part of International Women's Day. When they numbers DO change, maybe we can change the tone of today to include parades and glitter and mimosas. (Heck, let's make that part of IWD protocol. Cheers!)

Hindsight is 20/20:

This time last year I tapped into my network of marketing leaders who have adeptly navigated success in a business environment not always encouraging to women.

I asked each of them, "If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice in the world of business, what would you say? What advice would you give to young women today, especially in a marketing role?" 

Here is their excellent advice. They form 14 powerful rules for being a woman in business - it's good advice for any gender:

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Amy Bills, Marketing Director at Blackbaud

I wish I could tell my younger self (or any young woman) not to wait until you're 100% ready to try something. Whether it's going for a promotion, running a half marathon, starting a part-time business: You will never be totally ready for anything that stretches your boundaries.

This is a big difference between how men and women think. Men, in general, will go for it if they can check maybe 60% of the 'are you ready?' boxes. While women wait...and wait...to check every box.

Do. Not. Wait. If something seems appealing to you; if you can imagine yourself doing it, that is your mind telling you to **go.**

That's why Nike's slogan has lasted so long. It's a recipe for moving forward.

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Stephanie Tilton, Principal/Marketing Writing Consultant, Ten Ton Marketing

Take the mandate to be a data-driven marketer a step further and apply it to your own career journey. Understand your company's strategic objectives inside and out and how marketing will contribute, and then map out your specific role in it all. Wherever possible, associate metrics with your own responsibilities and goals, and tout your successes in the framework of the bigger picture.

Raise your hand at every opportunity to soak up new knowledge and develop yourself into a well-rounded marketer who can handle anything thrown her way. Develop your personal brand by creating the story of you and crafting your own perspective on today's marketing landscape -- then share that at marketing events and in the online social sphere at every turn.

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Maribeth Ross, Chief Content Officer and Managing Director at Aberdeen Group

Ladies, the best advice I can give you to “make it happen” in marketing really has nothing to do with marketing at all. Rather, the advice that comes from my experience surviving and thriving in the business world amid all the media coverage around women's rights and issues such as pay equality is simple: your gender does not matter. Yep, I said it.

Here are my Five Rules for Making it Happen, listed in no particular order.

1. You can be anything you want to be.

2. There is no substitute for hard work.

3. Don’t take crap.

4. Take your integrity seriously.

5. Be you.

(Read more about these five rules on Maribeth's blog.)

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Melanie Berger, Owner/Designer at Mariwear

As for International Women's Day, I have to say that I am one who lives for and around karma. I'm all about having a passion or vision and going for it. I fully believe that if you don't ask, you don't get.

The quote I used that night has been used before my time but this is truly my belief: "Believe in your idea, trust your instincts and don't be afraid to fail". This has been used by Sara Blakely of Spanx and many others.

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Kim Donlan, CEO of RedSwan5

Ignore the titles, job descriptions and requirements you see today -- especially the ones that try to define you as a particular kind of marketer. Focus instead on talking - to everyone - about what you are curious about. This will transcend the conversation from your current skill set directly to your passion.

A fascinated marketer will quickly acquire whatever skill she needs to pursue her passion and begin shape her career around who she is rather than what she does.

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Samantha Stone, Founder & Senior Analyst, The Marketing Advisory Network 

As a young professional I was naturally driven, tripped my way into finding fantastic mentors and was known for solving problems and multi-tasking. I'm proud of what I accomplished but disappointed I didn't savor the journey. Instead of enjoying a sense of satisfaction I was alway anxious to move forward to the next challenge. While I worked with talented peers I never fully trusted anyone but myself.

I attended EVERY meeting just to make sure my team didn't miss anything important. When a team mate missed a deadline I jumped in and did it for them. When their writing was less than perfect I fixed it for them rather than provide guidance for them to address. I was exhausted and never paused. Youthful energy made it look on the outside like it was easy, but inside I was burning myself out. It took me many years to internalize that success is not a solo sport. No one can scale their impact without trusting peers - imperfections and all.

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Courtney Kay, VP, Field & Product Marketing at TechTarget

As a woman in business I wish someone had sat me down early and said “stop thinking of yourself as a woman in business.”  No man would ever define himself as  “a man in Business.”  Defining who you are by the amazing thing you do is the first piece of advice I would give to any woman… me, I’m a marketer, and I love it.

The second piece of advice (which an amazing mentor taught me) would be to not worry about being right but about getting what you want.  Women so often feel the need to prove themselves and be right.  It’s exhausting and frankly, a waste of time.  The best leaders are the leaders who never lose site of the end game, and do what it takes to get there, giving credit where credit’s due and attributing that to the team members who make it happen… this is particularly important in marketing where what we do is half art half science- there’s rarely a “right” answer, elevate the great ideas.

Which leads me to my third piece of advice: support other women!  Somehow we are far harder on our female peers and often look at everything they do with criticism first and appreciation second… reverse that, and make it constructive.  “A rising tide lifts all boats…” or something like that … and finally, stop apologizing.  Make the decisions you’re proud of, support the causes you believe in, and don’t apologize for either.

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Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs 

Never underestimate the value of poking your nose out.  I used to think if I was bright enough or hard-working enough or talented enough… success would find me organically. Or magically.

That’s not quite right, though: You still have to be bright and hard-working and talented… but you have to put yourself out there, too. You have to create your own opportunities. No one is going to invite you. There’s some luck involved (that’s the second thing we shouldn’t underestimate), but there’s no magic.

Also, never underestimate the value of relationships – personal and professional. Everything I’ve accomplished has been as much because of a key relationship or two as it was because of me.

And finally, never underestimate the value of good night’s sleep.

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Jenviev Azzolin, Founding Partner at pplconnect

Often times the hardest critic you'll face is yourself. Try to harness that energy into building your drive and momentum. Ignore the rules and the guidelines of what "you're supposed to do" and define your own. Follow your instincts, ignore naysayers and always be true to yourself.

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Maura Fitzgerald, Owner of Version 2.0 Communications

The best advice I ever got was given to me at the very beginning of my career and it is what I pass along to colleagues who seek out my counsel.

Listen to your gut.

When you do, you won't go wrong.  Ever.  And the wonderful thing is that the more you listen, the louder it gets and the easier it is to "hear."  Your instinct is the combination of your intelligence, your experience and the ephemeral signals you're picking up from your environment and those that populate it.  It is your biggest asset.  Learn to cultivate it and use it.  You will never regret a decision that you make that is based on your gut feeling.

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Jean Serra, Founder and Partner, Version 2.0 Communications

When I think about my career, I feel very lucky and appreciative.  First, to the women who've come before me and paved the way in the workplace.  I entered the agency world well after the Mad Men era where women had to fight for a voice and a seat at the table.  And, given my professional focus in PR, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by smart, successful role models at every stage of my career.  These women, both colleagues and clients alike, have taught me so much about the craft of communications and business, management and mentorship.  I'm also enormously grateful to my parents who always encouraged and supported me academically and professionally.  They helped me put my education first and served as my cheering section when I considered new jobs or professional endeavors, including the scary proposition of starting my own business.

So, if I had to look back and give my younger marketing self some advice, I'd say -- think big, take risks and don't worry so much!  Surround yourself with great people that you can learn from and don't be afraid to seek out mentors to ask for advice and help.  Oh, and remember to celebrate the successes (big and small) and enjoy the ride.

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Ann McGuire, Senior Product Manager, BuyerZone 

Coworkers. Mentors. Inspiration. Often in the beginning, I found myself wondering what I was really going to do with my career, how I could shape it, and who would give me the chance to shape it. This struggle was mine, and so I thought, mine alone. My research, though critical, could only get me so far.

If only my younger self knew that [most] coworkers love sharing what they do, their struggles, their passion and their goals. I started asking questions, walking around the office and meeting people I’d never spoken to or overlapped with before. Learning different aspects of the business soon connected me with one of my “forever mentors” and my inspiration and creativity grew from there. Don’t be afraid to explore within your current company and role to help shape and build your own foundation.

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Heather Meza, Founder & Principal Consultant, The Marketing Evolutionist

Rarely will your career follow a simple and projected path straight up. It’s more like a roller coaster ride than a ladder. My advice? Buckle in, raise your hands high, and don’t let fear make any decisions for you. Don’t wait for opportunities, make them! Take calculated risks. You’ll regret what you DON’T do more than the things you do. Experiment until you find what really moves you. And remember: there is no losing, only winning and learning—so enjoy the ride!

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Ardath Albee, CEO & B2B Marketing Strategist, Marketing Interactions

You may be surprised. My younger self wasn’t a marketer. I was a general manager in the hospitality industry. Usually the only woman in the room at association meetings. It was unusual in the late 80s and early 90s for women to hold that position. I ran hotels and country clubs. Of course that included marketing, but that was only one role. I think it helped me immensely because I had the bigger view of the business and was responsible for the P&L, HR, F&B, etc. The whole thing. When I made the transition to GM of country clubs that included oversight of the golf course. I had to learn fast and be bold to keep my job. But that was probably the best training I could have had for becoming a marketer.

It wasn’t until I was running a startup marketing technology company in 2000 that I really dove head first into marketing while working with clients and discovering how bad things were with content. It’s likely that not coming up through the marketing ranks helped because I didn’t have many preconceived ideas or constraints about what was possible. Of course, having an English degree and being a die-hard writer also helped immensely.

My advice to younger marketers is to learn all you can and keep learning and to take risks. As they say, if you don’t try, you don’t get. It’s the chances I took that built my career. I still learn things every day. With change as the norm, it’s the only way forward.

And one other thing – customer first – always. The best skill you can have is to get out of your head and into your customer’s mindset. That was true in hospitality management and it’s true in marketing.

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Related reading:

• 5 Surprising Facts About Gender Inequality in Marketing

• Where Are All the Women (Speakers)?

• Millennial Women, Stop Asking for Permission to Be Great

This advice originally appeared on LinkedIn.

Thank you to all who participated in this project. To learn more about International Women's Day, please visit their website.

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

Marketing Was Never Supposed to Be This Way (My TEDx Talk)

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

TRANSCRIPT

On Easter Sunday in 1929, a group of rich female debutants joined the annual Parade in New York City, and shocked a nation.

In one beautifully orchestrated moment, they pulled out cigarettes they had hidden under their clothes, lit them up, and strolled down the street smoking for all to see – including the press.

You see women at the turn of the 20th century did NOT smoke in public. It was something only a man (and women paid to sleep with men) could do. So you can imagine the newspapers the next day…..

But it’s not what you expect. Headlines across the nation called these women “powerful and independent suffragettes.” And they weren’t just smoking cigarettes, they were “lighting up torches of freedom.”

You see there was a marketer behind this, of course. There’s always a marketer behind these things. His name was Edward Bernays, and he had issued a press release the day before telling them what was going to happen, and armed them with that phrase “torches of freedom”.  You may have never heard that name, but as a consumer in the 21st century, Edward Bernays has impacted your life and the way you live it.

He was an American propagandist in World War 1, and after the war, companies needed to do something with all of the goods they were mass-producing. So they hired Bernays to create new kinds of consumers. The president of the American tobacco corporation, in this case, had approached him to solve what he felt was a problem. Only half of his market were smoking – just men. To sell more cigarettes, Edward Bernays needed to create a new kind of female– one that wasn’t ashamed of smoking in public like many were at the time. And so he used mass manipulation to link the cigarette to a sense of of independence, power, things important to women at this time in history, having just earned the right to vote. He single handedly created a new market for cigarettes with a marketing stunt.

And it worked. Women’s adoption of cigarettes rose steadily, jumping to $32 million in the year that followed this act.

And Bernays went on to replicate this model for all kinds of clients, from clothing brands to banks.. and create a framework for marketing that we are stuck with today.

It’s because of Bernays that we see product placement in movies. That we see movie stars and celebrities wearing certain brands. That the clothing we see in a magazine can be purchased down the street at a convenient department store. He’s the reason bacon and bananas are part of an all-American diet, and why cars are symbols of male sexuality.

He orchestrated a world where we have to buy certain things in order to be a certain kind of person.

And the model set up by Bernays is this: Here’s the product. Let’s use marketing to create consumers that fit this product. Product-centric marketing.

See, Bernays was kind of an awkward guy, in fact he rarely looked people in the eye. He thought of people in groups, not as individuals, and saw them as easily manipulated masses. What I haven’t told you about was Bernays’s family tree. He was the nephew of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.

To Edward Bernays, this model for marketing was just propaganda. Mass consumer persuasion.

He felt that “if you could use propaganda for war, you can use it in times of peace.” But the irony here is that this model not only inspired what we know today as marketing… it inspired Hitler’s ministry of propaganda.

They saw people as faceless crowds, easily forged into a pre-defined way of thinking / feeling / acting.

And unfortunately we haven’t been able to shake this mindset as marketers. And that’s the problem.

Nearly 100 years later, we waste hundreds of billions of dollars every year trying to create the kind of consumers we want, mold those that fit our products. Marketing has become an all-encompassing force in our world. It’s everything. It’s everywhere. We see between 500 to 3,000 marketing messages a day.

And the response of marketers has been to create more noise across more channels in an effort to get their message out to more people! But this strategy doesn’t work.

Consumers don’t trust companies. They tune out the noise of irrelevant marketing, they skip the ads, ignore the commercials. You’re more likely to get into Harvard, survive a plane crash or win the lottery than click a banner ad.

We have failed you as marketers because we are the center of our own universe. We become experts on our products and think we know all there is to know about our buyers. The truth is we don’t.

When was the last time you interacted with a company and felt…. Man, they reallyget me. It’s rare. When it happens, it’s almost magical it’s like finding a unicorn. And you’re loyal to that brand, because they’ve taken the time to get to know you, and given you the type of experience you want.

And that’s the point.

A friend recently told me that the origin of the word company comes from the concept of breaking bread together. Isn’t that incredible?

Great marketing is personal. It’s humanized. You don’t need to be a marketer to know this. It treats you like an individual. It speaks to you on your terms. It respects you - it doesn’t make you feel like you’re not good enough. It uses your language, reflects your priorities, speaks to your hearts and minds… not your vanity, not your ego.

Nearly a decade in this industry has proven to me that this is the only way forward as marketers.  If we have any chance of earning, of deserving the attention of our overwhelmed customers, we cannot buy it. If we’re going to cut through the noise, we must demonstrate that we understand who they are.

This new model is simple… it’s customer-centric, not product-centric. And it would terrify Edward Bernays, because it requires a skill he did not have: empathy. Seeing the world through the eyes of another. We are hard-wired for empathy… unless you’re a sociopath in which case please don’t get into marketing.  And this is the most important skill for marketers in 2015. Empathy.

In this brave new world of technology and data, we are presented with the greatest opportunity to reinvent marketing since the advent of the billboard. To redeem ourselves for nearly a century of obnoxious marketing. It was never supposed to be this way.

So my question for you today is this: what if the next hundred years of marketing was customer-centric? Human-centric?

Thank you.

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Katie Martell

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

5 Surprising Facts About Gender Inequality in Marketing

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

My first conversation with Mary Firme was funny and erratic. Just like the two of us – full of energy and jumping around topic to topic. We had met at one of many B2B marketing trade shows on our calendars as we worked in marketing for competing organizations. By all standard expectations, it should have been a tense and curt meeting - she, the “enemy” by conventional perspective. But I couldn’t help but instantly like Mary. A kindred spirit, smart, and fearless – a trait I have found is increasingly necessary in our profession.

Mary and I continued to run into each other at events – and staying true to this first impression, we had a memorable interaction at each one.

(Case in point: during my very last trade show for the company, I threw a massive boat party. Mary approached the attendees I had invited and made sure they were equipped with motion-sickness pills, and an invitation to her own rooftop party that evening. Much to my coworkers' chagrin, I just loved it. Audacious and hilarious. Fearless.)

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Years later Mary and I are on to different adventures in our careers. And this week, true to style, Mary boldly put her POV into the world.

She analyzed salary data within the marketing industry, and uncovered some infuriating trends. Here are five that stuck with me, but please read her original post or Slideshare, for the full data set.

1. Women have more marketing skills than men.

Women in the study dominate with skill advantage, owning the majority of 9 of the 13 skills studied including corporate communications (73% of women vs. 27% of men), branding (61% of women vs. 39% of men), and others.

Takeaway: This post is NOT here to suggest that women are inherently better at marketing than men. This issue is about equality, not comparison. The profession simply attracts more female-identified individuals. Read on.

2. Men are paid more for the same marketing skills.

*Facepalm.* Every. Single. One. of the 13 skills examined earned men more salary than women. Men paid more to do the same job. Same story, different data.

Takeaway: Ladies, we must be willing and able to negotiate salary commensurate to what we deserve. It’s a skill that is learned. And this also means we must pass it on to those we mentor.

3. Women lack the perceived skills required to meet this gap.

Perhaps it’s a matter of how the data was aggregated and reported but look at the precise skills that men “have” more of in this study (chart above.) Leadership. Business strategy. 

My non-statistically-relevant sample size of women leaders I know and have the pleasure of working with do not lack any of these skills. My gut tells me we are falling short when it comes to talking about these skills on resumes and in interviews.

Conferences and events are the biggest culprits here. Take, for example, the recent Dreamforce debacle summarized beautifully here.

"The conversation — which was titled the “Women’s Innovation Panel” — had little to do with tech or innovation. Instead, it focused extensively on parental leave policies and included such comments as, “Susan, you know something about babies,” a question about whether Wojcicki had all five of her children with the same husband(!), and a compliment on how great Alba looks in a bikini."  

Takeaway: We need to get better about talking about women in business. That is, there is nothing different about a woman in business than a man in business. We do the same job, and we should be discussed the same way.

Also, ladies, this is a reminder to toot your own horn. Get used to positioning your skills as men do. Think of Sheryl Sandberg’s consistent refrain - you’re not a bitch, you’re not bossy, you’re a leader. You’re decisive. I loved this recent article“Famous quotes, the way a woman would have to say them during a meeting.”

4. Women fall short in upward mobility.

Mary found that although 80% of entry level marketing workers are women, men obtain 64% of future leadership positions. As Mary writes, “by the end of the career climb, it’s shifted down to 37% female.”

Takeaway: Why does this happen? Of course part of it is in gender bias in the hiring process. But it takes two to tango. Studies show women wait to apply for jobs until they are 100% qualified. We must stop asking for permission to be the boss.

5. Marketing is doing better than other professions.

With our 36% share of top marketing positions, female marketers do fare better than the overall corporate average of 18% according to a recent Payscale McKinsey study.

Takeaway: We have work to do. I have a brilliant twin sister who is a PhD candidate in the field of biochemistry, and in her world of science, women are paid less, less likely to be funded, and faced with myriad gender bias in peer reviews and work culture.

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Just this week I presented Cintell’s vision at Mass Innovation Night. Bobbie Carlton does an excellent job aggregating the latest and greatest in Boston’s startup community for a monthly event that has earned a massive following with a months-long waiting list to present.

This time it was 100% female founders and supported by what seemed like an endless array of organizations and initiatives to support women in business. Read my post here promoting some of these groups like Innovation Women and SheStarts. Events like that encourage me that there is fantastic energy being applied by smart people in the advancement of women's equality in the world of business.

But there's lots of work to do. Just recently a male colleague offered that he was growing sick of all the women-focused articles and studies. Where were the male-focused studies? Where was his movement? With every ounce of restraint I held myself back from bitch-slapping him and proclaiming "every DAY is your damn movement, every time you walk into an investor pitch or business meeting you are marching in a privilege parade!" 

Sick of hearing about it? Look, change happens when we talk about it. When we refuse to be invisible. I'll stop blogging when these numbers make sense. And honestly, I'll probably keep blogging then.

Thank you to Mary for putting your analysis into the world. And thank you for being fearless.

Stats about Gender Inequality in Marketing

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn

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Whole Foods’ Mistake in Millennial Segmentation

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Whole Foods has made headlines this week for its announcement to introduce a new chain of stores to attract the mysterious millennial generation. Stock prices suffered, and media coverage has been largely negative as analysts and industry insiders debate whether this approach will effectively hit home with the intended target of 18-34 year old consumers.

One motivating factor for the decision is the sheer size of this generation. This year millennials will overtake Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living generation in the US with 75.3 million members, according to recent population projects released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Yum, Stale Buzzword Soup

But the issue with Whole Foods’ strategy in making this proclamation exists largely in the way in which it was positioned to the public.

Few details were included in the announcement, only that these new, smaller stores will offer all-natural food at lower prices and be specifically geared to this demographic segment. They will be “tech-savvy,” more “streamlined” in design, and “unlike any of the other stores you’re seeing out there” (whatever that means).

IMHMO (In My Humble Millennial Opinion), Whole Foods is cooking up some buzzword soup and we’re all invited to take a sip - despite the fact that it’s getting a little stale.

Robyn Bolton sums it up nicely in her article for the Harvard Business Review:

By describing this new concept as “geared toward millennial shoppers,” Whole Foods is essentially saying one (or both) of the following:

1. Gen X and Baby Boomer shoppers are fine with or even prefer old, cluttered stores that sell a confusing array of stuff at high prices.

2. We (Whole Foods) need to create new stores because our current ones are old and cluttered and sell all sorts of poorly organized stuff at high prices.

At least – that’s what consumers of all generations are reading between the lines.

Stale Demographic Segmentation

Robyn suggests the issue here is really in a flawed, underlying segmentation approach that is too reliant on demographics alone.

“By relying on demographics to define a consumer base, executives are implicitly, or explicitly, saying that all people of a certain demographic (in this case the same age cohort) are the same and that they are also distinctly different from everyone in other demographics.”

She argues that a better way to approach this would have been to consider the jobs-to-be-done.

Notable Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen first introduced the concept of “jobs-to-be-done” about 12 year ago. This strategy takes a different approach to market segmentation, using the deeper motivations surrounding use of a product than the traditional demographic details such as age, race, location, etc.

“By understanding consumers’ jobs, companies can identify what drives their behavior and their buying decisions—and then create offerings that resolve their most important and unsatisfied jobs,” writes Robyn.

These new stores from Whole Foods may exist to meet a variety of jobs-to-be-done ranging from functional to social to emotional, but these jobs are not specific to the millennial generation, and details remain to be seen exactly how they will differentiate.

I can’t help but wonder if this announcement would have fared better in the minds of the consumers for which it was intended had Whole Foods taken a more modern approach to segmentation, or at least conveyed that message more clearly in their announcement.

Whole Foods missed an opportunity to position the new stores in a highly relevant way, instead opting to go the general, irrelevant, and potentially offensive route to a generation of 75.3 million consumers who so greatly value their individuality.

Originally published on LinkedIn, with further coverage in Marketing Magazine.

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3 Truths and 4 Solutions for How and Why We Buy in 2015

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“The hunt for happiness has evolved.”

I have always been interested in why people do the things they do. It’s a question I constantly ask within the framework of my life as a marketer.

On a more personal level, I apply this curiosity to people and situations on an everyday basis. If we have a conversation, I am likely wondering why you said the things you said. It’s become very much a habit. Much can be learned by asking “why?”

The answer often reveals juicy insights for a marketing or sales strategy, in parallel to my startup, Cintell. But the implications of the question go far beyond this application. Motivation is connected to the greater state of our society and culture.

A Brave New World

Particularly in the most recent decade, the ways in which we shop and consume are drastically different than ever before. Because of that, there’s a swell of new thinking, research, and ideas that I find fascinating.

One such resource is Decoding the New Consumer Mind: How and Why We Shop and Buy from Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist and professor who is now on my bucket list to meet in the hopes of gaining an ounce of her brilliance.

She warns marketers that what has worked before won’t work today. To make matters worse, things are changing so quickly that marketers have less time to get ready. They need to be ready.

The technological, social, and emotional changes that are now influencing consumers are easily relatable. They all apply to most of you reading this post. But consider them in the framework of marketing and it’s clear to see our work has been cut out for us.

After digesting her excellent book on a recent flight, I offer 3 truths about consumers today, and 4 strategies as presented by Kit.

Truth #1:Buyers think differently than before

Technology use is literally rewiring our brains. Smartphones, or what Resource CEO Kelly Mooney calls “weapons of personal empowerment” have changed us.

We want quick fixes to our problems, we want what’s new, we are empowered, and we seek transparency. We have a new set of emotional needs as buyers. We’re more easily distracted and have less tolerance for ambiguity – and nearly everything else that requires patience.

We are driven by an anxiety to keep track of information and an expectation that we be available around the clock. The result is continuous partial attention, a phrase attributed to Gary Small. Our brains are being trained for speed – scanning and processing mountains of information rather than focus, paying attention to detail, and patience.

Truth #2: Buyers are more guarded, but seek connection and respect

Human connection is on par with food, water, and shelter. It forms the foundations for happiness and the source of meaning and purpose in life – and yet we’ve never been more alone. Kit points out a paradox of modern society. “Although we’re genetically predisposed to connect, we can actually survive on our own. And that’s what we’re increasingly doing.”

This results in more isolation and a more “me”-centric society. Our lives are increasingly more superficial and disconnected as communication takes place via technology. This has led to a rise in our fundamental need to be seen, respected, and connected. Marketers take note.

Truth #3: Buyers are crankier, edgier, and more anxious

Even though we are still optimists by nature, we as buyers approach the market with more emotionality. Our moods and emotions have a tremendous impact on how we perceive the world, including our perceptions of brands, products, and retailers. This affects how buyers process information and make decisions – emotions enter into the appraisal and trade-off functions of buying decisions.

Narcissism is an important factor in the current state of things, as well. As narcissism is on the rise, and knowing that to some extent it exists in all of us, Kit advises marketers to harness the allure of specialness, exclusivity, secrets, and social ranking systems.

In a world where everything feels available to everyone anytime, the old-fashioned thrill of finding something special, unique and exclusive is more appealing than ever. A rare find, like a private invitation or exclusive offering, bonds consumers to a retailer or brand.

What to do?

Strategy #1: Understand that “tried and true” is simply tired and old.

Today, value is placed in what is new. “Consumers have a passionate sense of exploration, especially with technology. There’s a fertile appetite for ‘new.’” – John Digles

Brands that incorporate technology and innovation into their offerings are viewed as simply smarter, cooler, and more consumer-centric. They simply feel more relevant to modern consumers. Digital technology is so integrated into the lives of consumers, it’s like an additional body part.

“Just as consumers won’t eat, sleep, work, or play without it, they’re not shopping without it either.”

Strategy #2: Be authentic. Be the real deal.

Fewer than 3 in 10 Americans say that corporate America’s reputation is positive. The perception here is that businesses have become the antithesis of humanity. Today’s consumers are defensive and distrustful, and today’s marketers are therefore working from a deficit of trust.

As Kit says, “the key to regaining the trust of wary consumers is to get real. Humanized, authentic brands that act transparently and live up to their images are beloved.”

Deep down, buyers “want to be able to relax their guard and buy and love products without vigilance – and the brands that offer them that security have a competitive advantage.” Yes, they are dazzled by “new” and eager to explore options but they want comfort, simplicity, and pleasure of doing business with brands they know and trust.

Kit also write a line of pure poetry, in my opinion. “There’s another reason why authenticity and the real deal are so potent today – they’re the antidote to our online lives. As more and more of our time is spent in a photoshopped, intangible, and virtual online world, we increasingly crave what feels real and genuine.”

Strategy #3: Make the consumer the star.

Aspirational marketing is gone - to an extent. As individualistic consumers, we are more responsive to marketers who appear to honor, admire, and serve us.

“The consumer wants to be the star – and in a very personal way. The secret to cool is to make your customers feel cool – and smart for choosing your brand. The appreciated customer is one who’s invited to participate.”

Strategy #4: Keep it simple, but more intense.

“It takes more, faster, harder, better to break through our technology-juiced, hyperstimulated brains. Everything has to be ramped up a bit to get attention and inspire actions.”

With a world of options at our fingertips, so much to choose from, no constraints on when and where to purchase, today’s shopper needs a jolt of emotional intensity to pull the trigger on a purchase.

Kit recommends removing interference and noise such as product complexity, confusing processes, or waiting to make the shopping experience more intense, and therefore more effective.

For marketers, understand that consumers will spend less time exploring detailed information and will consider a wider variety of sources when searching for product solutions. They are looking for faster, simpler solutions to match the way they think.

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I am so drawn to any media on the subject of understanding consumer behavior, see my post “How Did We Get Here?” for an example of what Freud did for the field in the early 1900's.

I have immense respect for those in the field such as Kit who are trained in the art and science of ethnography and psychology. I am equally grateful and inspired by their research and insights keeping us on the forefront of how our world is changing buying habits, and the resulting strategy we as marketers need to adopt.

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This post originally appeared on LinkedIn.

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So, How Did We Get Here?

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The other night, I found myself asking "how did we get here?" I wasn't referring to humanity - though the more reality TV I watch the more I wonder how we ever devolved to consider this entertainment - but I specifically wondered how we arrived at this point in marketing?

We're at a confluence of art, heart and science in our industry, and it's changed the meaning of a career in marketing, increased the impact we have in our organizations, and led to a swell of innovation in the past decade as data + technology explodes with possibility.

We've certainly seen a shift from mass-marketing to personalized journeys and experiences - a move celebrated by many, especially the beleaguered consumer.

But to understand where we're going, I wanted to look at where we've been - and found myself curious as to where it all started.

I stumbled across the documentary Century of the Self. Released in 2002 by Adam Curtis and the BBC, it's free to view online and I'd recommend watching if you're interested in psychology, marketing, propaganda, consumerism, or all of the above.

Freudian Slip

Did you know Edward Bernays - the inventor of public relations - was Freud's nephew?

Bernays took Freud's ideas about human beings (you know, those repressed inner sexual desires of all humans) and used it to manipulate the masses.

He showed American corporations how to make people want things they didn't need by linking mass produced goods to unconscious desires.

Does this sound familiar?

Beginning in the early 20's, New York banks funded department stores across America - the vehicle for mass-produced goods - and Bernays' job was to produce a new type of customer.

He began to create many of the techniques of mass consumer persuasion that we now live with every day, fueling retail, fashion, and media industries.

Bernays was employed by publisher William Randolph Hearst to promote his new women's magazines. He glamorized them by placing articles and advertisements that linked products made by his other clients to famous film stars like Clara Bow - who was also his client. (Go figure.)

He began the practice of product placement in movies, and dressed the stars at the film's premiere with clothes and jewelry from other firms he represented.

He was the first person to tell a car company they could sell cars as symbols of male sexuality.

He employed psychologists to issue reports to say that products were good for you and then pretended they were independent studies.

He organized fashion shows in department stores and paid celebrities to repeat the new and essential message: you buy things not for need, but to express your inner sense of self to others.

We all have grown up with these techniques as the de facto way the world works today, and how we experience brands. To know it all came from the mind of one man influenced by his psychoanalyst uncle.... #mindblown.

Not a People Person

Perhaps the most revealing fact about Bernays was his lack of people skills. The documentary goes on to say he was inarticulate, rather funny looking, and not great with people one on one.

He was uniquely knowledgable about how people in large numbers react to knowledge and ideas. He was famous for understanding the mind of a crowd.

In fact, one of his biggest fans was Hitler's propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels.

He strikes me as the anti-marketer of today, as our industry has evolved to embrace techniques that are not solely mass-targeted, but rather driven by our understanding of the personal, unique needs of our buyers.

From mind-control to empathy. Tricks and illusion to authenticity.

How did we get here? In part, we can thank Mr. Bernays.

And now that we know the history... how fast can we continue to revolutionize the marketing function to be the advocates for the customer, rather than the puppet masters of the masses?

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Bust a Move: 3 Marketing Moves I’d Like to See in 2015

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Superbowl Sunday! I’m prepping my appetite for more wings than a human should be able to consume and am especially excited about my forthcoming prosciutto-wrapped figs stuffed with goat cheese (which I will closely resemble after the game.) As a life-long Bostonian I am of course rooting for Tommy-B and the Deflated Balls of New England… but ABOVE ALL I am really looking forward to the touchdown celebration moves. Here’s a list of the top 10 best touchdown moves you’ll never see again due to regulations.

Busting a move is not reserved for the well-paid (ahem… overpaid?) employees of the NFL. You too can take a page from Young MC and bust your own marketing move. Here are the top 3 marketing moves I’d love to see in 2015.

1. Customer-centricity

To be customer-centric means allowing buyers to essentially guide the strategy of product, sales, marketing and more. Customers become the “north star” that your business consistently follows. They become the “hero of your story,” (to quote Ann Handley). Strategically, this is the difference between being product-centered vs. customer-centric.

George Colony, CEO of Forrester, even goes as far to state:

“Companies must transform to be customer-obsessed enterprises. Customer obsession focuses strategy, energy, and budget on processes that enhance knowledge of and engagement with customers – and prioritizes them over maintaining traditional (and crumbling) competitive barriers.”

Source: The Digital Marketer: Ten New Skills You Must Learn to Stay Relevant and Customer-Centric

2. A Balancing Act of the Art, the Heart and the Science

In the world of Mad Men Madison Avenue, marketing was mostly art. Creatives were in control and fueled by martinis or whiskey, national ads dependent on visuals, clever phrasing and wit, and a gleam of consumer insight. Fast forward to the last 5 years and marketing has (clearly) changed dramatically.

The rise of the empowered consumer, huge amounts of data trails left behind from buyers' digital behavior, and a wealth of marketing technology has swung the marketing industry to the opposite end on the art-to-science spectrum. We are to be marketing technologists in 2015.

But in the rush from art to science, I think we’ve lost a little of the “heart” behind what drives buyer behavior and what our brands can do to connect in a compassionate way. Marketers should remain empathetic experts on buyer personas and preferences as much as we are data-driven and analytical.

Making assumptions about buyers should fall by the wayside with the availability of data and insight to validate or invalidate deep-seated beliefs about buyers. Yes, insights from big data and analytics are driving a new era of customer intelligence and predictive analytics. But there must be a balance between blindly adopting the analytics and strategy driven by stats, and strategy decisions that are driven by instincts and customer voice.

It’s not really about left brain vs right brain anymore: the new truth is that marketing is a trifecta of art, heart and science.

3. Stop Talking and Start Listening

We’re in marketing – of course we’re good at talking. My own father once told me I could “talk a dog off a meat wagon.” But when it comes to your buyers: start listening. Great marketing is not just about amplification. It must incorporate the voice of your customer. What ever happened to the buzz around customer voice programs?

I recommend a read-through of this excellent article by Tony Zambito, “Listening and Empathy: Making Your Marketing More Human-Centered.”

If you’re like the majority of B2B marketers who feel as though their content marketing and B2B marketing efforts are only effective less than 40% of the time, it’s time to re-examine how to connect your organization to its customers and buyers.

Try creating a dialogue and listening to your intended recipients. Observe them. You'll develop a better understanding of the drivers that affect your buyers as human beings every day. Really, try it. I promise it will deliver some quick ideas for you to develop more effective content, messaging, and more.

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So, there’s my wish-list for marketers in 2015. A more human-centered approach, marketing with heart, and leading the customer-centric dynamic shift in your organization.

As for tonight, I’d like Julian Edelman to throw another touchdown pass like he did in the playoffs… because that was just awesome.

What do you think?

Patriots

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Authenticity is Not an Excuse

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Recently, at Logan airport here in Boston, I picked up a copy of the Harvard Business Review. This has become a common habit of mine before a flight, as I welcome the uninterrupted reading time and chance to feel a little smarter than when I boarded. What really caught my eye this time was the cover story, “The Authenticity Paradox.”

I had recently published a post on the importance of authenticity to millennials (Introducing the Millennial CMO) in which I encouraged brands, especially B2B, to get rid of the BS, and re-invigorate authenticity into their marketing.

But authenticity is not a universally positive trait. This excellent article by author Herminia Ibarra gave me interesting new insight into the limits of authenticity as it applies to our careers and leadership styles.

What is Authenticity in Business?

For me, I equate authenticity with honesty. It’s traditionally used to describe a work of art that is an original, not a copy. However, in the article Ibarra expounds the idea that authenticity is used in leadership as an identity trait that actually may cause some leaders to get “stuck.”

“When we view authenticity as an unwavering sense of self, we struggle to take on new challenges and bigger roles. The reality is that people learn – and change – who they are through experience.”

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Leaders may latch on to authenticity as an excuse for sticking with what’s comfortable. But, and this is something I feel every day as a new entrepreneur, few jobs allow for us to stay in our comfort zones forever.

“As we strive to improve our game, a clear and firm sense of self is a compass that helps us navigate choices and progress toward our goals. But when we’re looking to change our game, a too-rigid self concept becomes an anchor that keeps us from sailing forth.”

Adaptive Authenticity

Ibarra suggests that by trying out different leadership styles and behaviors, we grow more than we would through introspection alone. She calls this approach “adaptive authenticity.”

Those who can develop their personal styles are described as chameleons. They are able and willing to adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling fake, or like an imposter.

Those with a tendency to express what they really think and feel, even when it runs counter to situation demands, are dubbed “true-to-selfers” and may stick too long with what’s comfortable instead of evolving as they gain insight and experience.

Ex: Know Your Audience

The way I see it, adaptive authenticity is in part applying the basics of marketing to your career and day-to-day leadership style. Know your audience, and adapt to suit their needs.

For example, the article describes a senior manager who was very successful – doubled revenue, redesigned core processes in her unit.

But her boss didn’t consider her to be an inspirational leader, and the chairman of the board at her parent company often became impatient at her detail oriented presentation style.

She knew she wasn’t communicating effectively in her role as a board member. Her feedback was to “step up and do the vision thing” but to her, it felt like manipulation. She refused to, quote “play on people’s emotions,” and create emotional messages to inspire/influence others, instead choosing to rely on facts, figures, and spreadsheets.

As a result, she seemed to pursue contradicting goals by pushing hard on the facts instead of pulling the board chairman in as a valued ally.

This is about seeing our jobs as a collective win – not just a selfish pursuit. It’s about selling ourselves effectively and understanding the dynamics around us.

Yum... Humble Pie

Negative feedback is key to improvement. However, the article points out that many leaders often convince themselves that dysfunctional aspects of their “natural” style are the inevitable price of being effective.

For example, Margaret Thatcher.

“Those who worked with her knew she could be merciless if someone failed to prepare as thoroughly as she did. She was capable of humiliating a staff member in public, she was a notoriously bad listener, and she believed that compromise was cowardice. As she became known to the world as the “Iron Lady,” Thatcher grew more and more convinced of the rightness of her ideas and the necessity of her coercive methods. She could beat anyone into submission with the power of her rhetoric and conviction, and she only got better at it. Eventually, though, it was her undoing—she was ousted by her own cabinet.”

How to be Adaptively Authentic

Ibarra suggests thinking of leadership development as trying on possible selves. It’s OK to be inconsistent from one day to the next. That’s not being a fake; it’s how we experiment to figure out what’s right for new challenges and circumstances we face.

“Such growth doesn’t require a radical personality makeover. Small changes – in the way we carry ourselves, the way we communicate, the way we interact – often make a world of difference in how effectively we lead. The adaptive approach to authenticity can make us feel like imposters, but it’s outside our comfort zones that we learn the most about leading effectively.”

Be yourself. But to succeed as a leader, we must be willing to evolve what that means over time.

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Does Anyone Actually Know the Words to Auld Lang Syne?

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I'm willing to bet we all just drunkenly slur something that resembles the tune while the fireworks thankfully drown us out.

But in my entirely-sober state of writing this post, I looked up the lyrics and origin.

I learned that the song is widely used to signify other situations than the coming of a new year, symbolizing other "endings/new beginnings" -- including farewells, funerals, graduations, the end of a party, the election of a new government, the last lowering of a Union Jack as a British colony achieves independence, in the Royal Navy, and even as a signal that a retail store is about to close for the day. (That last one is pretty awesome.)

The song rings true this New Year's Eve, as I reflect on the lessons learned from my professional endeavors of 2014. But in the spirit of new beginnings, I wanted to share 7 of my resolutions for 2015, as I dive head-first into the full launch of Cintell.

The first four resolutions are professional goals to help make the venture a success in our first year of business. The latter three are more personal: 1. Be Customer-Centric.

This is not only our mantra and tagline at Cintell, it's my #1 resolution for 2015. What our team is building will put the customer (and all their juicy insight) at the very center of your business to guide stronger decision-making. To this end, I plan to practice what I preach. This means building with our users in mind, adapting quickly to feedback, and allowing data collected to guide decision-making (rather than assumptions.)

2. Collect More Emails.

As 2015 is a year of growth and user acquisition following our beta launch, we need to be focused heavily on email marketing and email acquisition. This sounds easy! But it translates to incorporating compelling calls to action early and often throughout all of Cintell's forthcoming marketing. That reminds me... have you joined our beta announcement list yet?

3. Test More. Measure More. Optimize More. Repeat.

The exciting part of a start-up is beginning with a blank canvas. The terrifying part of a start-up is beginning with a blank canvas. Funny how that works out. In 2015 our team is laser-focused on testing and measuring as much as possible to optimize efforts such as user acquisition and engagement. Similar to the Lean UX approach we need to put a stake in the ground first, and calibrate our efforts later.

4. Get the Village Involved

We all know it takes a village to raise a child. Well, this startup is my baby. And I'm fortunate to know some of the smartest, most badass marketing and entrepreneurship experts in my career to-date. It's been inspiring to bring our ideas to them and hear both their validation and their candid feedback to strengthen our vision. In 2015 a top resolution for us is to continue to sanity-check our assumptions and direction. Thanks in advance, village.

3 personal resolutions for 2015:

5. Allow Myself to Make Mistakes

We are our own worst critics. In 2015 I'll mess up. More than once. But for every time I do, there's a lesson to be learned. And before we get all Kumbaya in this post, this lesson comes from experience. Beating yourself up is part of the game; do it quickly, accept responsibility, note what you can do to fix/avoid it, then shake it off like Taylor Swift and move the f*ck on.

6. Write More. Write Better!

This one is self-explanatory for my profession, as marketing is driven by compelling, empathetic content. "The key to being a better writer is to be a more productive one. More simply: the key to being a better writer is to write." - Ann Handley. So, write I will. Luckily, whether you choose to read is your decision.

7. Focus on Self-Improvement, Every Day

This one is inspired in part by Cintell's CEO, Apparao, who is focused heavily on creating an environment that supports self-betterment and improvement. He believes each member of our team should constantly be investing in learning how to do what we do better, faster, and stronger. That's not only critical to achieving the lofty goals we've set for the business in 2015, it's how we're going to continue to elevate our own careers. And it's one of the many reasons I am fortunate to work with him every day.

Happy New Year to you! May 2015 bring you adventure, fulfillment, and growth.

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Introducing the Millennial CMO

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Let me set the scene.

EXT. OUTSIDE CORTHELL MUSIC HALL, GORHAM, MAINE

I was on the phone with my father, having just completed a performance to the entirety of my musical school at the University of Southern Maine (in case you’re wondering the song selection was the beautiful Morceau Symphonique for Trombone and Piano by Alexandre Guilmant. Let this article also serve as a confession that I play trombone. Moving on…)

I admitted to him that although this performance meant the successful end of my sophomore fall semester, I wasn’t sure if a career in Music Education was right for me. I … dramatic pause… deep breath… wanted to transfer schools and pursue a career in marketing.

I braced myself for his angry response: What about all the private lessons, school tours around the country, long drives just for an audition, beautiful (expensive) new instrument, and years invested in a degree teaching musical theory?

In hindsight, I should have known my father would respond how he did. With a chuckle (yes, a chuckle), he shared some aspirational but damn inspirational career advice.

“Go for it. Find what you love, and find a way to make a living out of it.”

In other words, be authentically you. Then go get paid for it.

He warmly assured me that I would make a great marketer. That I could, and I quote, “talk a dog off a meat wagon.” (Hey, takes one to know one, Dad.)

Fast forward a few months and I was back home in Boston getting a crash course in marketing, social media, gender theory, hipster fashion and clove cigarettes at Emerson College.

Millennials and Marketing

I’m very fortunate not only for my very supportive parents and comfortable, middle-class suburban upbringing, but to have been born of a generation following Generation X (born after the post-World War II baby boon).

The exact definition of a millennial varies, but I’m prone to go with that of Time Magazine, which dates us as born between 1980-2000. I fall towards the older end of the spectrum but happily accept “digital native” as a characteristic.

There is a lot of bad press given to the millennial generation, and some for good reason. We’re called the trophy generation, given hardware just to participate. We’re known as narcissistic and distracted, unable to connect with our peers due to the availability of digital friendships and the public narratives of our adventures, cataloged and published forever in photos and status updates.

And while I’m sure there are plenty in my generation brought up to be narcissistic, egotistical, overly naïve individuals, I’m also quite confident that these traits abound in other generations.

Relative to marketing, a recent article in Advertising Age claims that millennials havethe highest branding IQ of any generation. The same author believes we’ve been acting as a CSMO (chief self-marketing officer) for years, promoting our own brands, without concern for buzzwords like “content” or “journey,” because to us, these tactics are just what people do. Our social communities are engaged and strong, and we have the (over) confidence to ask for a seat at the table.

A good set of characteristics for any marketer, if you ask me.

But there is one value that embodies my generation that was left out of that AdAge piece, one that supports a new perspective of marketing, branding, and shapes how we affect these strategies in the future:

Authenticity.

We’re obsessed with it. We as a generation look right through fluff, buzzwords and lazy marketing (as many consumers do.) But my generation in particular hates it. Like good cultural rebels we react to brands attempting to tell us who we are with virulent detestation.

Read this excellent Forbes article for a more in-depth look at the importance of authenticity to millennials, and the shaping of our cultural business identity from the rise of the Organizational Man in the 1950’s to today’s millennial idealism full of energy, hope, and the true “self.”

I believe that to be a B2B company catered for the 21st century buyer, we have to re-invigorate authenticity into our brands.

We can start today by publishing content and materials in a language that doesn’t make the intended reader want to grab the nearest stapler and poke their eyes out. (Sorry for that visual.) Plenty has been written about how. Start with Ann Handley’s13 Writing Rules, for example.

Brands can create authenticity by spending more time, and yes, more money, to understand who their buyers are, and letting it inform everything from product to marketing to sales to service. By talking to buyers as the human beings that they are.

As a millennial, and as a marketer, I hope to embody this reality, to bridge the gap between a buyer and a business with some humanity.

I’ve recently started an entrepreneurial journey with the brilliant Apparao Karri, who I worked with at B2B data services firm NetProspex. We’ve co-founded an organization called Cintell (short for Customer Intelligence) devoted to putting thecustomer back at the center of marketing, sales, product, and every function of an organization.

Because isn’t that how it’s meant to be in the first place?

Whether or not you think it’s time for a Millennial CMO, here I am. Living my father’s advice of doing things authentically my way, and yes, getting paid for it. And like a good millennial, I'll be sharing the journey. Stay tuned, and buckle up!

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