…And yet want a marketing job.


Currently I am a third year accounting student at the Sauder School of business at UBC. I don’t want to trash my degree too much, but the way the world is going the value of formal education is declining, quickly. Unless you want to work in the traditional business world, ie. accounting, finance, or become a teacher or professor, its going to take much more than a bachelors degree to be successful. And I’m not talking a PHD or MBA. I in no way want to be an accountant, at least not at this point in my life, but I feel that accounting is the one skill that can (sort of) be learned in a classroom, and that will be the least affected by technological change. I’m not saying any degree is useless, but there is definitely more value in the relationships you make, the people you meet, and the fun you have than anything you learn in a classroom. I love this place more than anything, but not for the textbooks.

The bottom line is, the world is changing, jobs are changing, and you better be on top of the game if you want to make it. Sir Ken Robinson speaks the truth at TED:
“If you think of it, children starting school this year will be retiring in 2065.
Nobody has a clue, despite all the expertise that’s been on parade for the past
four days, what the world will look like in five years’ time. And yet we’re meant
to be educating them for it. So the unpredictability, I think, is extraordinary.”

And marketing is the industry (in the business world) that has been shaken up the most by this exponential growth of technology. Traditional media has made way for the Social Media Revolution. Look at Pepsi for example, one of the most traditional business giants you’ll see. But this year, instead of airing a superbowl ad, they spent the 20 million instead on social media.  One of these initiatives was the miserable fail of the “Eh, Oh Canada Go Campaign,” but hey, at least they’re trying.

And look at what Axe is doing with this contest. Its using REAL PEOPLE to connect with their target market at a grassroots level, to promote themselves and the Axe brand. Its putting a personal face and a personal touch on what is an (effectively) mass marketed product. They aren’t first major brand to do this, and are in no way going to be the last.  This is the first time they’re running this campaign, and I’d be interested to find out what kind of metrics they are using to rate its success, and how it compares with their TV ads. Though their TV spots seem to go viral on Youtube as well.

Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Wordpress, Youtube, Foursquare, Gowalla (any iPhone apps), AUGMENTED REALITY(?) I feel are the most important tools to any marketer out there today, if they are used correctly. And I doubt they are mentioned in the majority of marketing textbooks out there. Which is really too bad. And by the time the 99th edition of Introduction to Marketing gets around to mentioning them, it will already be way to late. You have to be spectacular, focused, and legitimate to make these tools work, but they’re sure as hell cheaper and more effective than mass marketing.

Marketing is the most fun and most dynamic industry in the business world, but the pace in which it is taught in universities can’t compare to the excitement and changes that are happening the the real world. Read books, read blogs, start using the tools that you’re going to need to be a successful marketer, and by all means get a marketing degree, but just know that its going to take a lot more than a piece of paper to land you a job. And it should.  The game is changing, be a player.

This is a pathetic list compared to all the resources out there, but here are a few good places to start:

Book List:
Tribes-Seth Godin
The internet has given people the ability to reach out to a niche that their passionate about, and lead this group of people. Tribes is about being this leader, starting the movement, and changing the world. And you can read it in like 2 hours.
Influence- Robert Cialdini
Some awesome lessons about the psychology behind effective marketing.
Free- Chris Anderson
The Long Tail is another must read of his, but I liked Free even better. It talks about how the economics of the internet have driven prices down to essentially zero, and how companies are making these alternative pricing models work. Think about Google, Facebook, Youtube, and all that they’re giving away, but still being profitable companies.
The 4 Hour Workweek- Tim Ferriss
How to live the dream. The title is misleading, and so is the book, if you take it literally. But the lessons on online marketing, testing and advertising are awesome. And dreaming of the beach lifestyle.
The Art of Seduction- Robert Greene
Not just about seducing women, this is an awesome marketing book. The key  lesson to take from it, MAKE PEOPLE’S LIVES BETTER. Its not about you, its about how you can be apart of someone else’s fairy tale.
The Pirates Dilemma- Matt Mason
Talks about effective guerilla marketing and how piracy has changed the world. Take iTunes for example, they took something that began because of piracy, and made it legit. It turned out nicely.
The Tipping Point- Malcolm Gladwell
How word of mouth epidemics spread. Gladwell’s stuff is gold.

Blog list:
Most of these blogs are tech blogs, which I think are most important to marketers. Check what new tools, ideas, and technologies are coming out, and what you can do with them. Most online marketers, or anyone who calls themself a “social media expert” are scam artists. Look for the bloggers that aren’t selling you stuff right off the bat.

Seth Godin- The guru.
Gary Vaynerchuk- Am awesome guy who’s leveraged social media to build an incredible business, that keeps growing.
Mark Cuban- Billionaire, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and a really intelligent guy.
Springwise- Up and coming business and social media startups. An incredible array of creative business ideas. These will get you thinking.
Charlie Hoehn- I stole most of his booklist, a young guy with some great ideas, who’s turned his blog into the start of a very successful career.
Techcrunch- What’s happening in the tech world, up and coming tools YOU can use to market your brand.
Trendwatching- Where the world is going, and where it is right now.