There is no handicapped parking in the jungle.
I heard a comedian say this on the XM Radio today and it really struck me. Not just because it was funny - it was - but also because it is true. There's no pass for being different, no leeway for the wildebeest that can't keep up. Run, or die. If you are wounded, surround yourself with the herd for protection. Don't strike off on your own, especially if you are not the fastest or the strongest.
And while I do see the truth in this, I also see the lie. What makes us powerful as marketers is our ability to push beyond the safe and drive our companies into iffy territory. Marketing really must drive the marketing strategy and push those new and scary ideas ahead of ourselves.
CEOs like risk. At least the ones I've known do. But they like a calculated risk with some high level of expectation that success is on the other side of that wooden slat bridge. Yes, we might fall into the deep gorge below, but if we make it across then the rewards will be great.
But if marketing is the wounded member of the herd, then it is highly likely that there will be no protection from the rest of the herd. The herd, of course, is filled with jackals just waiting to tear you to shreds. They eat their own young, and they will have you for breakfast, too.
I wish I could say that brilliance or creativity or perseverance is the answer, but that is not true. After 25 + years in the trenches, I can honestly say there will always be people - completely unqualified people - who believe in their heart of hearts that they know better than you about which marketing strategy you should follow.
For heaven's sake, ignore them.
