I unashamedly admit – I like superhero movies. And I can honestly say that I would rather watch a movie like the Avengers, Batman, Spiderman or Iron Man instead of one that took home 10 awards from Cannes and 5 Golden Bears.
I loved Avengers 2 so much so that I came up with the following idea for a blog post – what can a marketer can learn from the Avengers?
Iron Man – The Techy
Tony Stark has no natural superhero abilities, he doesn’t fly and doesn’t have lasers coming out of his eyes but he ingenuously uses everything that is technology to save the world. Curious by nature and with a quite developed vision (think of the moment when he made Ultron and the reasons why he made him – to create armor around the Earth to save mankind) he rises to the level of his teammates.
If we look at Tony through a marketer’s eyes we can learn the following things from him:
Be curious and experiment. Make use of technology.
I repeat, the marketing world is changing too much too fast to be able to sit still thinking that what’s here today will still be here tomorrow. So pay attention to what’s going on around you, test it on your own skin and use technology to be able to have an impact with the work you do every day.
Hulk – The Analyst
Dr. Bruce Banner is a nuclear physics genius and has an extraordinary mind that cannot be measured by a specific intelligence test (source). But due to an explosion Banner has suffered a powerful shock that “created” the Hulk. Some would say he’s an indestructible monster but with a “Lullaby” (remember Romanoff?) he can be tamed. Even though it’s the Hulk that smashes everything around him, Bruce Banner is the brain that through analysis and research can sometimes solve even the hardest problems that the team encounters.
A marketer can learn from Dr. Bruce Banner that:
Research, data, data analysis and processing are vital to a marketing strategy.
So, don’t neglect data and analysis (ding ding Analytics) when “drawing” a marketing strategy. Because these are the sources you need and if I may say so, the starting point.
But beware- if you don’t know how to “read” the data and you end up with the wrong results, don’t be surprised if you will come out a mini Hulk at the end of your project (strategy or campaign).
Thor – The Traditional
Thor is a warrior born with super powers and talents that Tony Stark often envies (the scene about lifting the hammer from the party). His weapon is a hammer that almost no one can handle (except those who are worthy of it).
We talk too much about the future of marketing, about how and what digital should be like. Many times we stop to see what we could do new (and not necessarily better) and forget to take into account the traditional side of marketing.
Some specialists say that e-mail marketing is dead, that banner advertising is not good enough and that traditional media is on the verge of extinction. But you know what’s strange? That only a certain category of people talks about the death of traditional marketing- and it’s the guys who don’t know how to use it.
If we look beyond the screens and cell phones we can see people who still read newspapers in parks, still look at billboards and who still listen to the radio while cooking. Should these men be neglected? Of course not.
A marketer can learn from Thor that:
Traditional marketing should not be overlooked.
Captain America – The Evangelist
I’m not a big fan of Captain America but I saw in him a spark that many of his Avengers teammates did not have – his optimism and the idea of fighting for a cause with all his power. Perhaps the others had this charisma too but it wasn’t as fleshed-out as in Captain America.
The Super Soldier trained to be the salvation of the American army on the battlefield often succeeds in bringing the team to a point where everyone feels responsible and prepared for battle. At one point in Avengers 2 Steve Rogers is even called the team captain because he possesses qualities of a manager and especially team work.
What is the purpose of an Evangelist in a company? – To bring forward the good news/ mission of the brand. That’s what Captain America does- he brings forward the news of salvation, to places where people are in need of superheroes and a helping hand to save them.
A marketer can learn from Captain America that:
He must have the mindset of an evangelist and that his responsibility doesn’t end when he turns off his computer.
And for those who want to know how to be better evangelists for their company I recommend you read Guy Kawasaki’s book – Enchantment.
Conclusion
Sometimes even the most commercial products (movies, music, etc.) can teach us something. So be pay attention and do not overlook something just because people see it as being silly.
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