Why having a broken shoulder has made me a better marketer

I am typing this blog with one hand. My left hand. I never paid much attention to my left hand before, but now that I have virtually no use of my primary arm, I am deeply aware of what my left hand can and cannot do.

Several weeks ago I broke my shoulder, and my life changed dramatically. The fall itself was not that dramatic -- trying to catch myself after realizing my foot had fallen asleep. It makes for a pretty pathetic story for a drama queen like myself. Taking up sky diving or rescuing a dog who had fallen down a cliff would have made the accident much more interesting. Getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and landing in the emergency room? Not so much.

Let me put it very simply. Shoulder injuries suck. They hurt and take a long long time to heal. They pretty much totally disrupt your life. Sleeping, eating, dressing, brushing your hair, working, making love, dancing, traveling -- nothing is the same for a while. And for someone whose passion is writing and editing, well, did I say shoulder injuries suck?

But this experience also has been the fodder for all kinds of thinking about life in general and marketing specifically.

You Really Don't Get It Until You Get It.

I have lived a blessed life with no serious illnesses or injuries. I have never been incapacitated for more than a few days nor been dependent on others. While I have always been empathetic to those who have not been as fortunate, I don't think I ever really got it. When someone's health was impaired, I can't say I brought my A game. Make that A for actions.

Now I get it. Because being disabled by illness or injury is humbling. Opening a bottle of ice tea. Putting on a bra. Eating with a fork. Pulling up your pants. It's a constant challenge to do things you never think about -- the details of life. Your life becomes layered in vulnerability and unmet needs. And if independence is one of your primary character assets and the inability to ask for help is one of your primary character defects, you are in trouble.

One part of not being able to do anything is that for the first time in decades I watched daytime television. It was quite an experience. The ads were primarily for drugs, "helpful" products, and legal services. The audience was older people, the disabled, and those suing somebody for something. Ninety percent of the ads were mildly offensive to me. Few reached me in an authentic way. None touched my emotions. And I clearly fit into two of the target audiences (unfortunately I could not sue myself for stupidity.)

I am 100 percent sure that the commercials were created by people who neither used the products and services nor fit the target audience profile. It was so evident from the tone -- often condescending -- and lack of empathy. The target audiences were treated as caricatures not humans. And I don't think the people who created the ads were actually trying to be funny or offensive. They just didn't get it.

So what does this mean for those of us who are paid to help companies make sales either on the client side or at agencies? Here's my conclusions.

We work hard to get the voice of the customer into our strategies and execution. But what we really should be aiming for is the voice of experience. Sure, you can get insights from interviews, focus groups, and observation to help shape a strategy. But can you really create effective marketing without living the experience? Can you really get it if you haven't experienced it?

Here's a few examples. Can you authentically write about incontinence without experiencing it? Can you relate to peeing your pants as an adult? Can a 20-something build a brand about menopause? Can she or he really know what it is like to be drenched in sweat during a business meeting? Can a childless man create ads about pregnancy? Can a white person create marketing specifically targeted at people of color? Can an older person really design communications about a product aimed at 20-somethings without sounding silly? The list goes on and on.

Of course, you can get lots right. But the details and realism that makes great communication soar is so often lost. Think about it in terms of movies. Actors try living the experience to get into character. Consultants are on the set to make sure movie reality matches real life. And increasingly, Hollywood is being legitimately criticized for casting decisions. Scarlett Johansson playing a transgender man? She may pull it off, but why not actually cast a transgender male actor?

So what if agencies hired people who actually had real-life experiences to work on their clients' brands? I believe that there are great creatives and strategists who have talent, credentials, AND experience. Former athletes for sports brands. Former fashion models for beauty brands. Fat people for weight loss products and services. Heart attack and cancer survivors for drugs aimed at people with these diseases. Older people for work on services and products aimed at seniors.

Or what if customers were engaged during the whole creative process, not just during the initial research phase and final testing? What if every creative team collaborated with actual people who use the product or service?

Sure, some agencies and companies do hire for experience. But too often the experience is with a brand or category, not life experience. Imagine what communication would look like if we really let voices be heard.

Powerful and effective is my guess. What do you think?