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This week, I’ve been writing about marketing during a recession - about how recessions are opportunities to gain market share, Read this author's blog.
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Comments
12.05.08
While everything you say is true from a personal sense, failures "kiss of death" comes from outside not inside.
With the increasing level of competition for jobs in the US, far too many companies are using a single failure as a "cut" for applicants. This is much more common when screening internal candidates, but any career field small enough to know the major players, and marketing certainly is one, everyone will know about your failures.
May not be nice, but "it is what it is".
12.05.08
The Motrin thing is most interesting to me. The company did not fail by running the ad. They actually made a huge splash by running this ridiculous ad, and managed to gain huge notoriety in the social media world because it went viral. And we all know, that all press is good press. So, if you look at it that way, the ad was a huge success, they established a presence in an important market without even trying.
The failure was that they didn't seize the opportunity. They didn't do anything with that amazing viral press that a negative ad gave them. Maybe they will learn from this failure, but in the meantime, every day that goes by where they don't figure out how to use social media to their advantage, is a huge waste of time.
Great post though. Having the ability to learn from failure is what sets the great people and companies apart from the ordinary ones.
12.05.08
@Allen - While I hear your point, I don't totally agree. I think most employers would only cut an employee if the single mistake caused irreparable harm to the brand or some other catastrophic disaster. And if that was the case, I think whoever manages that marketer should be taken to task also. (I'm having a tough time coming up with an example...feel free to show me where I'm wrong with this.)
If your company cans you for one well-intentioned and un-foreseeable mistake, then you're better off not working there.
@Ryan - I'm not sure all news is good news anymore. The recent hubbub over @MattBacak's Twitter press release is one example. I can't think it gave him any more business and will likely haunt him throughout his career.
And I tend to think the Motrin ad was a mistake - classic mistake of not understanding your audience - but I totally agree that the real mistake was their not harnessing it for good. That was the true failure. I should have been clearer about that - thanks for highlighting it.
DJ
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