Lessons learned from martech wins

I am not a brilliant fella, but I have moments of brilliance from time to time. Here are a few moments of martech brilliance that are worth sharing.

Vendor expressing concerns

I once worked on a complex multi-system project involving several existing vendors. One valued vendor was taking on a new role, which understandably raised concerns for them. So, we talked to the vendor team about this. In a moment of brilliance, I asked if they could summarize their perspective and concerns in a slide deck, and they agreed.

This allowed them to present their concerns in their own words, which we then shared with a broad group of stakeholders. Their explanations helped us better evaluate the risks they highlighted.

It also signaled that we valued them as partners. Regardless of how we moved forward, they knew we had listened to their perspective strengthening our client-vendor relationship.

Contract timing

My team once negotiated a contract with a new vendor where timing was critical. This was in late spring/early summer, aligning with the vendor’s end of the quarter and fiscal year.

Vendors often offer significant discounts and concessions during this period to close deals and meet their goals, and this was the case for us. However, we knew we couldn’t start the implementation for a few months.

By collaborating with our procurement team, we negotiated a delayed contract start date while signing in time to secure the incentives. A win-win: the vendor closed the deal on time, and we didn’t pay for a tool before we were ready to use it. It’s a reminder that leaning on organizational partners can help everyone succeed.

Dig deeper: 6 martech contract gotchas to be aware of

Lunch break

Work often makes me hungry, and sometimes, it even inspires my lunch choices. In 2018, I read about Burger King’s Whopper Detour Campaign. To promote its new mobile app, Burger King embraced its signature cheeky style. Users who downloaded the app and enabled location services could drive to a McDonald’s, order a Whopper for a penny, and then be directed to the nearest Burger King to pick it up. It was a clever use of geofencing thousands of McDonald’s locations.

If that’s not marketing technology in action, I don’t know what is.

That day, I got a penny Whopper for lunch and spent the afternoon thinking about the campaign’s execution. I still think about it today. Whether you’re a Burger King fan or not, the Whopper Detour was a brilliant example of creatively using technology in marketing.

Questioning dogma

Several years ago, while meeting with a senior marketer in my organization, I mentioned a few best practices related to the topic. Because they were proven strategies, I was baffled when my colleague questioned them. 

They argued that best practices can be lazy. I don’t entirely agree with such a dismissive view, but re-examination can be very useful. The practices might be based on flawed data, outdated behavior, or expert bravado and may not fully apply to a specific situation. Martech, after all, is more art than science.

Practitioners should apply the same skepticism to shiny new things. This can uncover valuable insights — even if the ultimate decision is to adopt the practice or trend. Sometimes, that process itself can lead to moments of brilliance.

A varied martech career

I never explicitly planned to have a varied career as a martech practitioner, but that’s how life turned out. Looking back, it has been great so far.

My career has taken me to companies in higher education, B2B SaaS and hospitality. I’ve worked in non-profit, publicly traded corporate, B2B and B2C contexts and small private agencies before moving into martech management. Each employer has brought unique customers, audiences, pressures, stakeholders and organizational structures, offering valuable insights.

I’ve also worked with and reported to a wide variety of individuals. I’ve been part of marketing, IT and product organizations and have reported to career marketers, MOps specialists, a former programmer and a former enterprise architect. Each brought a unique perspective and taught me something valuable.

I wouldn’t call this a happy accident but rather a happy meander. While there are benefits and drawbacks to both long-term roles and job-hopping, my path has been uniquely mine, and I see it as brilliant.

Dig deeper: Why career diversity drives martech team success

Martech is not the only profession with a strong community of support, but that doesn’t diminish the brilliance of how we support one another.

We help each other in many ways, including trade publications like MarTech.org, conferences, user communities (regardless of vendor involvement) and professional development resources such as books and podcasts from passionate practitioners.

Whether or not our employers are competitors, we are more likely to succeed when we collaborate. I’ve cherished the opportunity to contribute to the field through this column. Even if my insights aren’t always brilliant, sharing them has positively impacted me.

Brilliance is all around us. Sometimes, we must shift our perspective to find inspiration and inspire others.

Dig deeper: What martech practitioners can learn from a NASA engineer