Mommy, What’s a Marketer?

Folks don’t confuse who the lawyers are. There are tons of folks employed in the legal field, but only a select group is called lawyers. And the amount of people in the medical field is impressive and necessary, but everyone is clear as to who can be called doctor. So when it comes to the field of marketing, what qualifies someone to be called marketer?

Yes, our field of marketing has a plethora of subspecialties, but what are the fundamentals that a professional should be expected to know in order to tout the title of marketer and who are they?

Are marketers the creatives who generate the advertising ideas? Or is it the research and planning folks who seek and interpret the consumer insights? Or maybe it’s the account service folks; after all, they are closest to the client and therefore may best understand the client needs. No, wait! It’s gotta be the media pros, because they know how to reach consumers and have the biggest budget at the table, right? Or does the client reserve the right to the title marketer because they best understand the business objectives? Not soo fast. I suspect the digital whiz kids may believe that they, by virtue of owning multiple iPads, got this marketing thing licked.

Ya know, if you hang around the halls of marketing long enough, you may encounter a marketer or two. Funny thing is that they usually don’t seek the title “marketer.” They are too busy thinking. They come in different forms. Some are pensive, reflective-types…others perhaps a bit more charismatic. You know that you’re in the presence of one because they have this uncanny ability to weave it all together: the consumer insights, the creative idea, the media plan, an understanding of technology, the leadership of account management, the client’s business objectives and often a consideration or two beyond what anyone else would have ever considered.

I’m fortunate to say that I’ve ran into a marketer or two or three. Some have moved on. Others remain right here at Zubi Advertising. If you are ever fortunate enough to be in the presence of a marketer, take it in, listen, learn and share…if you do so, someday someone may refer to you as a marketer too.