The average tenure of today’s CMO is 18-22 months. One major driver is the fear of taking creative risks. Ironically, it is the problem of producing mediocrity that is the true risk.
As members of a society, our brains are hardwired to fit in, to conform.That’s why so many people dress the same way, have the same hairstyles and are uncomfortable to be the ones that stand out in a crowd. This fear of being different seems to permeate marketing departments every day. Many clients seem to buy advertising the same way they buy clothing – gaining comfort from what their peers are doing.
And yet, ironically, as a consumer, this same human brain is programmed to filter out everything that is known, accepted and routine. If your marketing becomes habitual and conforms to the category norms, no one will notice you. If you are mimicking the same conversation as your competition, you’ll be ignored. If you change the conversation you become the story teller. If you want to achieve cut-through and relevance you need an idea and execution that stands out, that is different and challenges convention.
