Is Marketing Suffering from a Crisis in Faith?

Alright, marketers, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the crisis in faith that's got us all doubting our mojo. This isn’t some existential crisis—it's about believing in ourselves, our tools, and the magic we can make happen.

The Crisis Unpacked

Marketing's biggest problem today? A serious lack of faith. We're questioning our ability to get the job done, second-guessing our tools, and hesitating to trust the results we’re aiming for. It’s like we’ve all got a case of the yips, and it’s killing our groove.

Here’s the kicker: you need faith to act. Waiting around for confidence to show up before you make a move? Good luck with that. Confidence comes from action. So, we can’t just sit on the sidelines because we’re scared of striking out. It’s about balancing our safe bets with some wild swings. Because let’s face it, the belief that marketing is all certainty is just a myth.

The Myth of Certainty

We’re stuck in this rut of chasing short-term wins and avoiding big risks. Everyone wants predictable results—for many, hitting 90% of the goal sounds good on paper, right? But what if taking a risk could get you 105%? Playing it safe can turn your campaigns into a snooze-fest. Sometimes, you’ve got to trust your gut and go for what feels right, even if it’s hard to track.

And I don’t want to hear anything about constraints because they’re around every corner. The biggest constraint we face isn’t people, budgets or deadlines—it’s our mindset. We need a mindset that’s open to trying new things and embracing the unknown. Only then can we break free from mediocrity.

The Solution: Balance and Experimentation

So, how do we get our marketing faith back? Here’s the game plan:

1. Negotiate results based on your budget: Be upfront about what you can deliver with a set budget. Lay out those measurable goals and hit them.

2. Balanced budgeting: Spend 90% of your budget on the sure bets. Use the other 10% to go a little nuts and take some bigger risks.

3. Optimize and reinvest: As John Calipari (former head coach of the UK MBB team) famously says after a win following a loss, “I made a tweak, but you probably didn’t notice.” Well tweak away at your marketing funnel to free up extra money. Use those funds to support your wild, unpredictable projects.

4. Iterate and improve: Mix things up regularly. Learn from your experiments and keep pushing the envelope.

We need to embrace experimentation because here’s the truth: 90% of our marketing likely works, but it’s often not hitting its full potential. You’ll never know if you’re leaving money on the table unless you experiment. Having faith in our skills and the guts to act on that faith can take us to new heights.

Marketing needs a revival of faith—in ourselves, our tools, and our potential outcomes. By balancing predictable strategies with bold experimentation, we can move from predictable to phenomenal.

So, let’s shake off the doubts, embrace the chaos, and make some marketing magic happen. Because if it's worth doing, it’s worth doing with a little bit of crazy.