Always be making

Recently I found myself marvelling at the skill of a butcher, which in my opinion at least, is craft and artistry equal to any other.  

Normally it’s behind the scenes where the magic happens and all we mere mortals get to see is the final product of the process, which here are the various cuts of meat.

At this particular butcher shop however, it was all on show and watching the execution of this craft as it progressed was, to say the least, mesmerisingly entertaining.

I have a family member who’s a butcher, and he says that you can tell the best of them. They have all their fingers, even after years of training and failure (though not, thankfully, to place the knife) to become successful.

He’s not missing any, which I thought of while watching this particular craftsman (also not missing any) wield his tools, making cut after cut, deep or shallow (whatever was needed) to craft the perfect – aptly named – cut of meat.

Even so, at its base butchering is a core profit maximising activity of a specific brand and business. That is, via the craft, the combination of an idea, routines and processes combine efficiently with raw materials, tools and resources to make something worthy of display, attractive and inviting.

The outcome (goal) is clear.  A whole entity is transformed into something different and its value is increased.

This happens via the careful, conceived and practiced placement of many cuts and each one, even if small, has to make a difference.  Each one has to have meaning and purpose if the goal of putting the product on display at its best is to be achieved.

It was at this point it occurred to me that putting out a display isn’t actually the goal at all.  Rather it’s a milestone in the process, started by the butcher's first step of work, which then continues into the stomach of the buyer, in turn resulting (all things to plan) in a repurchase and that’s the true goal.

From this perspective, while every cut must mean something and the perceived outcome is spectacular, it isn’t even close to the end game, and that got me thinking about the concept applied to marketing.

My point is that the marketing equivalent of putting the meat on display and then walking away, is being satisfied only with the communication plan's presentation (be they visual, audio or combinations thereof) of the tactic you just signed off on, seeing it on screen, outdoors, in print, on social or having it arrive in your inbox, and so on.

While obviously important, the outcome of a marketer’s work isn’t solely this aspect of the communication. At that point they’ve only half made something.

It’s what results from the communication that's the whole game, the effect that it has on the invited and subsequently the business, as much as it is to translate the idea into a campaign. 

That’s not to say that celebrating the milestone of work dispatched and looking brilliant in the world for all (but mostly your market) to see is wrong.  It’s the marketers equivalent of the butcher sliding the tray into the display, standing back, admiring and saying to themself: “I made that”.

This is critical for self-awareness, to keep engaged in the process, maintain belief and grow. No matter where you are in your career, it's a step that matters. To this day I get great personal satisfaction at crossing paths in the world with the outcome of work I've led.

All that being said, this is where many marketers see their jobs end, which is to simply put the work out there, rather than being involved in making sure that the work, well, works.

The broad concept of PDCA applies here, which if you aren't privy stands for Plan Do Check Act.  

It can go by other handles, but essentially it’s a feedback loop that goes beyond Do (which for the butcher might be display and for you is the creative execution, ad or activation) through Check and Act, which is figuring out what occurred as a result of the work and then feeding that back into the continuation of making.

That part takes insight, data and analysis.  Feedback from multiple sources.

It’s also time consuming when there is little, ergo inconvenient and often difficult to convince everyone in the organisation how important it is and to take it seriously.

It’s hard work though worth the effort, because if you get satisfaction from seeing the billboard, then that’s great.  Well done, though if that’s all you get and think your job’s done, then that’s not good and it’s time to start taking some responsibility for just how much difference the cut of the work really makes.

Be like the butcher.  Their cuts may make something amazing, but unless that results in action from the invited, then it may as well never have happened.

* David is an accomplished senior marketing leader with over 15 years experience leading the creation, design and management of integrated marketing and communications strategy. 

With experience in verticals and brands that include consumer products and services (retail and trade), automotive, motorsport, transportation and entertainment, David lays claim to a strong record of achievement as a strategically-focused (sprint and long game) marketing and communications team leader and mentor. 

Invite, Entertain, Interact, Experience, Engage, Motivate is David's mark and the ties that bind his MO for delivering success through marketing.