Why Marketer Churn Is So High: A Deep Dive into the Marketing Industry's Revolving Door

In the fast-paced world of marketing, there's a phenomenon that's become all too common: marketer churn.

Whether you're talking about contractors, employees, executives, or agencies, the marketing industry seems to have a revolving door that never stops spinning.

But why is this happening?

Let's dive into the murky waters of marketer churn and uncover some uncomfortable truths.

The Branding Black Hole

Imagine you're a talented marketer, hired for a specific project or task. You're ready to hit the ground running, armed with your experience and a toolbox full of strategies.

There's just one tiny problem – you've been handed the keys to the kingdom, but nobody's given you a map.

That's right, folks. The number one reason marketers find themselves in hot water is that they're rarely given the branding information they need to make their project cohesive with the organization or the overall marketing strategy.

It's like being asked to bake a cake without knowing what flavor it's supposed to be or who it's for.

The Strategy Vacuum

But wait, it gets worse. Not only are marketers often left in the dark about branding, but they're also expected to operate in a strategy vacuum.

Here's a shocking truth: very few companies actually have an overall marketing strategy.

So what happens? The hired marketer is forced to employ their own strategy, which is about as likely to align with the non-existent overall strategy as a snowball's chance in you-know-where.

It's a recipe for disaster, and guess who gets blamed when things go south? Not the company that failed to provide direction, that's for sure.

The Too Many Cooks Syndrome

As if navigating without a map or compass wasn't hard enough, let's throw another wrench into the works.

Enter the hiring manager and their internal employees, all chomping at the bit to have their say on the project.

Whether they understand the marketing task or not (spoiler alert: they often don't), everyone wants to be a backseat driver.

This creates a perfect storm of conflicting inputs, shifting goalposts, and general chaos. Our poor marketer is left trying to please everyone while still attempting to achieve the original goal – if they can even remember what that was at this point.

The Success Paradox

Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Let's say our intrepid marketer manages to navigate these treacherous waters and actually succeeds. Pop the champagne, right? Wrong.

Even when a marketer pulls off a miracle and achieves great results, their work is rarely seen as pivotal to the outcome. Instead, it's often attributed to other factors or, worse, seen as something anyone could do.

Take this all-too-common scenario: A skilled marketer is hired to boost a company's TikTok presence. They're given no branding guidelines, no strategic direction, just a vague "make us popular on TikTok."

Against all odds, they succeed, creating engaging content that resonates with the target audience and significantly increases the company's following.

The result? They're replaced by intern Sally because, hey, she knows how to use TikTok too.

Never mind the strategy, creativity, and hard work that went into building that audience. In the eyes of the company, if Sally can post dance videos, she can surely handle their entire TikTok strategy, right?

The Churn & Burn Cycle

This perfect storm of factors – lack of branding information, absence of overall strategy, too many cooks in the kitchen, and undervaluation of success – creates a cycle of churn that's hard to break.

Marketers, feeling unsupported and undervalued, move on to greener pastures.

Companies, failing to recognize the root causes of the problem, hire new marketers and the cycle begins anew.

Breaking the Cycle

So, how do we stop this merry-go-round of marketing madness? It starts with companies recognizing the value of clear branding guidelines and coherent marketing strategies.

It involves trusting the expertise of the marketers they hire and providing them with the information and autonomy they need to succeed. And it requires acknowledging and valuing the contributions of marketers when they do achieve results.

Until then, we'll continue to see talented marketers hopping from job to job, seeking that elusive position where their skills are truly appreciated and utilized. And companies will keep wondering why they can't seem to find a marketer who "gets" them.

Remember, in the world of marketing, a little respect and a lot of clear communication can go a long way. Who knows? It might even lead to some long-term relationships in this industry of short-term flings.

What is the AI-Brand Blueprint?

The AI-Brand Blueprint is our attempt to fix the churn problem.

The AI-Brand Blueprint is the foundational document for organizing and implementing the AI-Branding Framework. It serves as the comprehensive guide that encapsulates all essential elements of a brand, from its core values and identity to the execution strategies powered by AI technologies.?

The Blueprint outlines the Brand Pillars and Brand Essentials, providing clear, actionable directives for each Style Guide of the brand, including Visual, Written/Verbal, Interactive, Experiential, and Community.?

By structuring the brand's core concepts and AI-driven methodologies in a cohesive and systematic manner, the AI-Brand Blueprint ensures that every business operation aligns with the brand's identity and values. It is a dynamic, living document that adapts to evolving brand strategies, market trends, and consumer feedback, facilitating consistency and relevance in the brand's communication and engagement across all touchpoints.

To employee all elements of the AI-Brand Blueprint, users can create the AI Marketing Department, which involves the creation of AI Marketing Employees that represent each of the Style Guides. The AI-Brand Blueprint is also used to create your AI-Branding Manager which is the culmination of all branding information.