???? Unlocking the Power of Spooky Stories in Marketing: Embracing the Scary Side of Our Profession ????

Hello, LinkedIn community!

As Halloween approaches, I couldn't help but think about the tradition of sharing spine-tingling tales by the campfire. We all enjoy a good scare now and then, don't we? But there's something quite intriguing about how the world of marketing rarely delves into the dark and mysterious world of its own failures. Instead, we tend to stick to the glittering successes, those shiny campaign case studies, and the 'wins' that adorn our portfolios.

?? The Missing Narrative of Marketing Fails ??

If you ever decide to embark on a digital journey and Google "Marketing fails," you'd be greeted with a parade of unfortunate advertising blunders. While these are indeed entertaining and dreading (who can forget the Pepsi-Kendall Jenner fiasco?), there's a conspicuous absence of discussions around the critical marketing failures that lie beneath the surface.

Where are the stories about marketing strategies gone awry, internal team collaborations hitting rock bottom, or leadership decisions that led to colossal marketing missteps? These stories are, more often than not, tucked away in the darkest corners of our professional memories. But, dear colleagues, they hold immense value.

?? The Hidden Value of Embracing Failure ??

Failure, in all its eerie glory, is an essential aspect of growth and innovation. It's the foggy pathway through which we stumble upon the unexpected, learn profound lessons, and emerge stronger and wiser. Yet, it often remains the ghost at the marketing feast, the uninvited guest that we'd rather not acknowledge.

Let's consider this: according to recent research, over 80% of marketing experiments result in some form of failure. Yes, you read that correctly – 80%! However, it's hardly surprising when the pressure to deliver successful campaigns and the fear of disappointing leadership looms large.

?? Embrace the Spirit of Experimentation ??

It's high time we summon the courage to confront our marketing phantoms and bring them into the light. By sharing stories of our missteps and failures, we foster an environment where creativity thrives, and a mindset of experimentation becomes the norm. After all, in the realm of marketing, experimentation is the potion that brews innovation.

Let's not be content with merely sharing our successes, impressive as they may be. Let's create a space where we can openly discuss our marketing experiments that didn't quite go as planned, dissect what went wrong, and extract valuable insights for future endeavors. CEOs, CFOs and Revenue Leadership have a role to play by welcoming and accepting the failures for what they are, innovation attempts that require risk-taking on a recurring basis to achieve growth.

?? The Path to Progress ??

In the spirit of Halloween, let's recognize that our workplace horrors, much like the monsters under our beds, are not as terrifying once we confront them. By embracing our failures, we embark on a journey toward improvement and innovation, and we enable our teams to grow stronger and more resilient.

So, this Halloween season, let's gather 'round the virtual campfire and share our scariest marketing stories—the ones that send shivers down our spines. Did you ever have a campaign that unexpectedly fell flat? Or perhaps a collaboration that went awry? It's time to turn the lights on the dark corners of our profession and bring the valuable lessons hidden within into the spotlight. Your stories, like ingredients in a cauldron, can brew up a potion of shared wisdom.

I'll start. Early in my career, I launched a digital marketing conference ahead of its time that I was sure would be a smash hit, but it barely made a whimper. I failed to realize that I was way too early on the market and that only a handful of experts and innovators could see its value. It was a humbling experience that taught me valuable lessons about audience research and timing.

More recently, I failed to identify the level of indecisiveness of a CEO who chose to avoid difficult conversations with engineering. Instead of letting them know they would no longer be in charge of the company's website, he delayed this crucial internal change that would have set the marketing team and the entire company up for success. Had I understood his fear of conflict and paralysis earlier in my journey, I would have managed change very differently and defined another path to growth.

Now it's your turn! Share your own marketing horror stories, and let's learn and grow together. Feel free to comment below, or if it's a tale too terrifying for the public eye, send me a message and I'll repost it anonymously. After all, around this virtual campfire, there's no judgment—only a shared passion for improvement and innovation.

Happy Halloween, and may your marketing endeavors be a little less spooky and a lot more successful!

#MarketingFailures #Innovation #Halloween #ProfessionalGrowth #ShareYourStory