top marketers who aren't marketers b&t 16 april 2010

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APRIL 16 2010 BANDT.COM.AU 15 It may surprise you to know that some of the best marketing is done by people who aren’t Marketers with a capital 'M'. By this, I mean people without “marketing” in their job title; without a stint in a “marketing” department on their CV; without a formal “marketing” qualification. But just because these people wouldn’t call themselves ‘mar- keters’ doesn’t mean what they do isn’t true to the principles of powerful marketing. Great marketing is about customer-centricity. It’s about delivering the brand promise and delighting consumers through innovation. It’s about breaking the rules of your category while remaining true to your brand. It’s ultimately about disrupting markets. Professional marketers should be reassured that the list of great marketers who aren’t Marketers is not an exhaustive one. My first example is Steve Jobs. Not a Marketer as such but a business person with great marketing prowess, who has changed the game in his sector. As The Economist magazine recently put it: “Apple excels at taking existing half-baked ideas and showing the rest of the world how to do them properly. It has already done this three times (with the Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone), now Mr Jobs hopes to pull off the same trick for a fourth time with the iPad.” The second example is Simon Cowell, British music executive, television producer and popular entertainment entrepreneur. From humble beginnings as a mail-room boy in EMI Music Publishing (where, helpfully, his dad worked at the time), his eye for talent propelled him on a mercurial rise through A&R (Artists & Repertoire) first with EMI and then with Sony BMG. Cowell is one of the best marketers of talent in the global popular entertainment industry, with brands like Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol all part of his repertoire. Honourable mentions here should go to Richard Branson for embodying the spirit of the challenger brand, and to the late Anita Roddick for showing marketers how to build brand while embracing corporate social responsibility. But what about Australia? Where are the Aussies in this list of great marketers who aren’t Marketers by trade? Gordon Merchant, Billabong founder, would have to be one contender. Merchant started out in the early 1970s shaping surfboards and making surf clothing with his future wife Rena. In an interview shortly after Billabong was publicly floated, he said: “We started making a few boardshorts and we used to take them round on a Friday afternoon and sell them to the local surf shops … we didn’t even have any labels on them, it was that archaic … after a while people started having a go at me because there were no labels … I honestly believed that if you bought some- thing you shouldn’t have to go around advertising it.” BIG TALK Adam Joseph Readership director, Herald Sun Melbourne TOP MARKETERS WHO AREN’T MARKETERS They may not have been formally trained in the intricacies of marketing, but there are those who have become true artists at selling both themselves and their brands. Why is Merchant such a great marketer? Quite simply because this uber-passionate surfer lives the brand. As with Billabong, surfing is in his DNA. Other Australian examples I can think of centre around the financial services sector: Rob Hunt from Bendigo Bank; John Symonds from Aussie Home Loans; and Mark Bouris from Wizard Home Loans (and Apprentice fame). First up, let’s look at Rob Hunt. Hunt was a banker that really ‘got’ customer service. Joining Bendigo Building Society as it was called in 1973, he spent the next 36 years as the driving force behind the expansion of Bendigo & Adelaide Bank as it is known today. Hunt was behind the innovative ‘Community banking’ model which started in 1998 and has now grown to 250 branch- es across Australia. This is often held as a shining light of corpo- rate social responsibility in the banking sector and why I think Rob Hunt is a great marketer: he innovated and disrupted. Finally, let’s consider John Symonds. The founder of Aussie Home Loans initially studied law and then specialised in proper- ty and finance. There was not a marketing degree in sight. Symonds shook up the traditional banking sector by offering cheaper mortgages and 24/7 home loans and service. Aussie’s success paved the way for other entrepreneurs, most notably Mark Bouris and Wizard Home Loans. In an interview in The Australian last year, Symonds talked about taking on the big boys and how being controversial was good for media strategy: “I was very fortunate in that I had no money to advertise, so I learned all about marketing yourself – this was by default, not a plan … there wasn’t a newspaper in the country, a television sta- tion or a television current affairs show, which didn’t want to understand the story better, and I found then the value of mar- keting yourself and being honest and yes, controversial.” So there you have it – a few suggestions of who I think are the greatest marketers to have never emerged from the market- ing profession. Adam Joseph is on Twitter at @adamjoseph1 COMMENT APPLE’S STEVE JOBS IS A MASTER OF HIS OWN MARKETING IMAGE: MATTHEW YOHE BT.APR16.PG015.pdf Page 15 8/4/10, 11:54 AM

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Page 1: Top marketers who aren't Marketers B&T 16 April 2010

APRIL 16 2010 BANDT.COM.AU 15

It may surprise you to know that some of the best marketing isdone by people who aren’t Marketers with a capital 'M'.

By this, I mean people without “marketing” in their job title;without a stint in a “marketing” department on their CV; withouta formal “marketing” qualification.

But just because these people wouldn’t call themselves ‘mar-keters’ doesn’t mean what they do isn’t true to the principles ofpowerful marketing.

Great marketing is about customer-centricity. It’s aboutdelivering the brand promise and delighting consumers throughinnovation.

It’s about breaking the rules of your category while remainingtrue to your brand. It’s ultimately about disrupting markets.

Professional marketers should be reassured that the list ofgreat marketers who aren’t Marketers is not an exhaustive one.

My first example is Steve Jobs. Not a Marketer as such but abusiness person with great marketing prowess, who has changedthe game in his sector.

As The Economist magazine recently put it: “Apple excels attaking existing half-baked ideas and showing the rest of theworld how to do them properly. It has already done this threetimes (with the Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone), now Mr Jobs hopesto pull off the same trick for a fourth time with the iPad.”

The second example is Simon Cowell, British music executive,television producer and popular entertainment entrepreneur.

From humble beginnings as a mail-room boy in EMI MusicPublishing (where, helpfully, his dad worked at the time), his eyefor talent propelled him on a mercurial rise through A&R (Artists& Repertoire) first with EMI and then with Sony BMG.

Cowell is one of the best marketers of talent in the globalpopular entertainment industry, with brands like Pop Idol, The XFactor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol all part of hisrepertoire.

Honourable mentions here should go to Richard Branson forembodying the spirit of the challenger brand, and to the lateAnita Roddick for showing marketers how to build brand whileembracing corporate social responsibility.

But what about Australia? Where are the Aussies in this listof great marketers who aren’t Marketers by trade?

Gordon Merchant, Billabong founder, would have to be onecontender. Merchant started out in the early 1970s shapingsurfboards and making surf clothing with his future wife Rena. Inan interview shortly after Billabong was publicly floated, he said:“We started making a few boardshorts and we used to take themround on a Friday afternoon and sell them to the local surf shops… we didn’t even have any labels on them, it was that archaic …after a while people started having a go at me because therewere no labels … I honestly believed that if you bought some-thing you shouldn’t have to go around advertising it.”

BIG TALK

Adam JosephReadership director,Herald Sun Melbourne

TOP MARKETERS WHO AREN’T MARKETERSThey may not have been formally trained in the intricacies of marketing, but there are those whohave become true artists at selling both themselves and their brands.

Why is Merchant such a great marketer? Quite simplybecause this uber-passionate surfer lives the brand. As withBillabong, surfing is in his DNA.

Other Australian examples I can think of centre around thefinancial services sector: Rob Hunt from Bendigo Bank; JohnSymonds from Aussie Home Loans; and Mark Bouris fromWizard Home Loans (and Apprentice fame).

First up, let’s look at Rob Hunt. Hunt was a banker that really‘got’ customer service. Joining Bendigo Building Society as it wascalled in 1973, he spent the next 36 years as the driving forcebehind the expansion of Bendigo & Adelaide Bank as it is knowntoday. Hunt was behind the innovative ‘Community banking’model which started in 1998 and has now grown to 250 branch-es across Australia. This is often held as a shining light of corpo-rate social responsibility in the banking sector and why I thinkRob Hunt is a great marketer: he innovated and disrupted.

Finally, let’s consider John Symonds. The founder of AussieHome Loans initially studied law and then specialised in proper-ty and finance. There was not a marketing degree in sight.

Symonds shook up the traditional banking sector by offeringcheaper mortgages and 24/7 home loans and service. Aussie’ssuccess paved the way for other entrepreneurs, most notablyMark Bouris and Wizard Home Loans.

In an interview in The Australian last year, Symonds talkedabout taking on the big boys and how being controversial wasgood for media strategy:

“I was very fortunate in that I had no money to advertise, so Ilearned all about marketing yourself – this was by default, not aplan … there wasn’t a newspaper in the country, a television sta-tion or a television current affairs show, which didn’t want tounderstand the story better, and I found then the value of mar-keting yourself and being honest and yes, controversial.”

So there you have it – a few suggestions of who I think arethe greatest marketers to have never emerged from the market-ing profession.

Adam Joseph is on Twitter at @adamjoseph1

COMMENT

APPLE’S STEVE JOBS IS A MASTER OF HIS OWN MARKETING

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BT.APR16.PG015.pdf Page 15 8/4/10, 11:54 AM