composed on the MTA to White Plains
All too often marketers are asked for "the big idea", yet the design of things often times seems to be delegated to competencies, agencies or departments other than marketing--the rationale for this is fairly obvious, but the issue I see is that, all too often, marketers are cut out of the process for a period of time or simply don't feel they can add value to the process and choose not to take part. I blame establishments, marketers and the designers of the world--all of whom think they "know best" when it comes to their corner of the earth, but the fact remains, the earth is round and perfection is achieved through collaboration.
The expectation of most marketers is that they are not designers or "product people", so why should they deal with these things? And so the marketer often leans on designers and product developers, many of whom don't pay adequate attention to the market in the same way a marketer would. What are we left with? In this scenario we are often left with great ideas designed terribly or beautifully stupid ideas, both equally unappealing to everyone.
As a marketer, I get excited every time I see gorgeous, smart and natural product design and great UX. I am, by no means an expert in these fields, but over the years I have paid so much attention to these areas, I can easily spot the good from the bad, as well as the good from the great.
I just saw this project on Kickstarter: http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/02/tiptop-speakers-launches/
What is the big idea?
A portable and dock-able Bluetooth speaker (meh)
No no, really, what is the big idea?
The use of frequently unused space to provide utility and entertainment. Furthermore, the use of unused space in a a way that accentuates sound by leveraging existing infrastructure. And finally, a beautiful and portable Bluetooth speaker....win!
In my 12+ years as a marketer, I have rarely, if ever seen another marketer come to the table with something akin to the latter as a "big idea". This needs to change.
UX/UI and the art of product design are core to modern marketing If you are a marketer and not on board with this notion to some extent, you may fall off the train.