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Are You A Marketing Guru?

In this age of reality TV shows like SharkTank and viral videos on YouTube — everyone is becoming more aware of marketing. That represents a giant increase in awareness, because until about 15 years ago, most people thought marketing was a trip to the grocery store.

Of course, marketing could come naturally to you. Maybe you are a “Marketing Guru.” A guru is a person who has a lot of experience in or knowledge about a particular subject. So, are you a Marketing Guru? No need to guess — I developed a quick self-exam to identify those with marketing in their blood.

You might be a marketing guru if…

  • The Oscar Meyer bologna jingle is in your iTunes playlist.
  • Your wife asks you to cut the grass and you ask what kind of ROI you can expect.
  • You don’t hang up on telemarketers because you want to hear their sales pitch.
  • You actually answer telephone surveys just because you like the process.
  • When you see a movie, you discuss the direction instead of the acting.
  • The word “cinematography” is used while discussing movies with friends.
  • You always wanted to direct a movie.
  • You always wanted to write a book.
  • You realized how hard it was to write a book and decided to write a column and a blog for your website instead.
  • You realized how hard it is to write a column and a blog.
  • Social media is more work than social.
  • You must have the latest Mac, iPad, and iPhone and you’re considering an Apple Watch.
  • You have at least one book about Steve Jobs. Probably three.
  • You know that the response vehicle is not a police car or ambulance but rather the most important part of an advertisement.

Marketing gurus love movies and books because they often tell great stories. They know that good marketing will use stories also — to help the brand stand out, connect, engage and move people to act.

Marketing gurus equate great taglines to great movie lines. The best of both are often remembered, repeated and quoted by others. Do you remember these tag lines? —

  • “Just do it” (Nike)
  • “Think Different” (Apple)
  • “We Try Harder” (Avis)

If you remember those taglines, you probably remember these movie lines:

  • “… they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom.” – Braveheart
  • “Are you crying? There’s no crying in baseball!” – A League of Their Own
  • “Mike. I’m tellin’ ya, you’re money. You’re so f—-n’ money!” – Swingers

Marketing Gurus love photos and videos and visuals of all kinds. They can get lost in a museum of fine art. And as they’re admiring that art, they’re thinking — “How would that look in an ad? How could I adapt that concept for my client?”

Compelling visual elements can generate up to 94% more views on social media posts. That’s no surprise to marketing gurus. They know everyone is drawn to an image before they’re drawn to text.

Videos are like candy to marketing gurus. They can’t get enough. They are usually the family cameraman — recording every important moment of their kids lives, vacations and holidays. Now that it’s so easy to record video with a phone, the marketing guru is always buying more iCloud or DropBox memory so they can save more videos.

So are you a marketing guru? Never mind the results of the self exam. If you read this far in a marketing column — you ARE a marketing guru.


About The Author

  • Author | George Farris
George Farris is CEO and Senior Brand Coach at Farris Marketing. Connect with George on LinkedIn using the icons above.

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