All advertising, marketing, messaging and sales professionals have faced difficult times at some point in their careers. Sometimes, these difficult circumstances are brief; like “writer’s block,” lasting only a day or two. Or, these challenges can persist for months on end. It all really depends on your perspective – regardless if these challenges are external or internal.
Let’s face it; we can’t all be super creative all the time. That’s when we need to be cautious, for fear of succumbing to the Seven Deadly Sins of Marketing and Advertising.
Wrath – It’s easy to get angry and/or emotional in response to one’s psychological interpretation of any situation, let alone a professional one. When one doesn’t get their point across, when a campaign doesn’t get implemented properly, when the competition beats you to the punch, or when any myriad of things that fall into the “Murphy’s Law” category happens, Marketing and Advertising Wrath can ensue.
Avarice – When a marketing or messaging strategy is developed solely to try and achieve an award or other notoriety; when this desire outweighs the corporate or business objective, this is Marketing and Advertising Avarice.
Sloth – As marketers and advertisers, we have an obligation to perform our duties to the best of our abilities. Marketing and Advertising Sloth manifests when refusal and carelessness dominate in the performance of one’s obligations. This is especially true with tasks which require ongoing maintenance, optimization, or support.
Pride – It’s easy to get an exaggerated, or false sense of status or achievement. Resting on one’s laurels is a sure sign of Marketing and Advertising Pride.
Lust – In marketing and advertising there are dozens of awards, accommodations and accolades to try and win. There is always something new to learn, some networking meeting to attend, or some top-brand name client to reach for. Balancing these goals with daily duties is sometimes overlooked and when the focus becomes a yearning for these “other” things, it is Marketing and Advertising Lust.
Envy – Marketing and Advertising Envy manifests when one person lacks the qualities and/or achievements of another person and either desires those same qualities and achievements, or wishes that the other person did not have them.
Gluttony – It’s great to be able to display one’s awards, accolades, achievements, pics with prestigious people and other items. In our industry, when this becomes an ego-inflating obsession – an over-indulgence to the degree of extravagance or waste – it’s called Marketing and Advertising Gluttony.
None of us are perfect and I know I’ve certainly been guilty of a few of these sins. Though, identifying them early will help turn things around faster for you.
Maybe, next time, we’ll create the 10 Commandments of Marketing, Advertising and Messaging. If you have ideas on what some of these commandments should be, we’d love to hear from you.
