Comments on: Marketers: More Hockey, Less Figure Skating

By: Mike O'Toole

Mike O'Toole — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:09:25 +0000

Dean,
No problem, link away. I’ve always been curious about the crossover between digital marketing and hockey

By: Dean Sprung

Dean Sprung — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:25:20 +0000

Mike, great article.
I’d like to use this as a backdrop to promoting my mobile media application HockeyGPS. I’m looking for national advertisers and would like to use a link to your article in my communications…with your permission.

By: Email Blaster Program

Email Blaster Program — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:27:01 +0000

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By: Daniel Sevitt

Daniel Sevitt — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:38:52 +0000

I’m having translation issues.
Could you do this all over again, but this time using cricket?
Cheers.

By: Night Life

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By: Mike O'Toole

Mike O'Toole — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:18:26 +0000

Mark,
I think you’re exactly right…playing hockey requires a cultural shift for agencies. Traditionally, we were paid for the big campaign, now we need to deliver that campaign (the big ideas are still critical) and the pre-post engagement. And campaign accountability has been turned on its head. There are many real-time tools to evaluate activities, very few to judge outcomes.
Richard,
I love your addition of who does the judging to the analogy. We are playing a very different game when the customer (vs the experts) grades our performance.

By: Richard Lipscombe

Richard Lipscombe — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:02:53 +0000

Old marketing was aimed at the judges – like a figure skating performance – who were the people who paid for it not the people who consumed it.
Digital marketing is aimed at the consumers – like a game of ice hockey its for the fans – who attend, follow online, on TV, on iphone, etc.
The ice hockey approach has been around for a long time – eg Tupperware Parties in the 1950s – but it was not that popular with ‘push marketers’ because they did not have a role.
Today the best digital or online marketing is done by those businesses that get their consumers involved in the design, production, and distribution of their products and service. A modern example is Threadless – the T-shirt maker in Chicago. But don’t get too carried away with all this new age stuff – remember that Tupperware in the 1950s also did this very well too!

By: Mike O'Toole

Mike O'Toole — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:46:48 +0000

Frank,
Love the reference to agile project management as a way to operationalize a hockey mindset.
Matt, completely agree that the most successful marketers combine the best qualities of both. As you say, finesse and stamina along with artistry and poise.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:31:31 +0000

Hi Mike-I enjoyed this article.
Looking at if from a paid campaign perspective, what are you optimizing to? What dictates the need for change? For direct response campaigns, that’s pretty straightforward. But from a branding perspective, the instant measurement and decisions of what to change are fluffy, at best. You have paid media balanced with unpaid, designed experiences balanced with social experiences, freestyle content combined with ad unit content. I find many agencies struggle with this agile, constant communication concept because it’s all about the big idea quarterly campaign. An understanding of real time dashboard analytics connected to real metrics is often missing.

By: Matthew T. Grant

Matthew T. Grant — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:49:51 +0000

I would characterize the difference between hockey and figure skating as the difference between play and performance. The emerging, conversational media, whether you are using them for business or just to be social, call for play. To understand them and to “use” them effectively, you have to be in the game. As you rightly point out, being in the game requires a continuous, ongoing engagement with a perpetually changing landscape (the game situation).
The continuous nature of these new media poses, I think, the biggest challenge to agencies and companies alike. Maintaining continuous engagement, rather than putting on discrete performances, calls for a different set of skills, tools, and, ultimately, expectations.
All differences aside, what figure skating and hockey both share is an emphasis on technique and mastery. You have to be able to skate. You have to be physically fit. You have to be able to plan, collaborate, and execute. Etc.
In other words, the emerging world of marketing doesn’t just need hockey players anymore than the traditional world only needed figure skaters. The real challenge, and why the focus on the people becomes paramount, is that companies today need marketing professionals with the stamina, focus, and flexibility of the player as well as the finesse, poise, and artistry of the performer.

By: Robert Alaney

Robert Alaney — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:08:31 +0000

Interesting!
I feel like there is a scarcity of good marketing today. Good marketing means which can convert the leads into sales. The only marketing that has moved me in the last couple of years is Social Media Optimization.

By: Mike O'Toole

Mike O'Toole — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:11:51 +0000

Josh,
Thanks for the comment, and hockey deserves center stage in my analogy. I think the rough-and-tumble of hockey is exactly the dynamic of digital marketing. The challenge on the agency side is we grew up thinking much more perfection/figure skating, so the cultural shift to hockey can be a big one.

By: Frank Days

Frank Days — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:06:11 +0000

I really like your hockey metaphor. The challenge, however, remains in getting the “figured skaters” in traditional agencies to play a some hockey and get a feel for the game. I know a few people who have been tinkering with agile project management approaches as a way to become more adaptive but this has limitations and requires a major cultural transformation (ie no creative briefs, no statements of work, etc).
In digital media, shorter lead times and flexible publishing reduces the fear of imperfection. This solves part of the problem. Contrary to the buzz emanating from the hype spots online, however, there is more to marketing than social media and inbound marketing. Many of us still need “outbound” channels to get the reach and frequency and make things happen. Until old media “dies”, we’ll all have to deal with this friction between “perfect” and “good enough”.
How do you plan to deal with this coming transformation?

By: Joshua McNary

Joshua McNary — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:45:47 +0000

I enjoyed the article and gained from the analogy, but I must say as a hockey player and fan it made me feel like hockey was being sold as a lower valued sport or something less important. So also for traditional vs. digital media. Digital media is played differently, but also has great value in context. I suppose this is really your part of your point here.
As much as it pains me, figure skating and hockey have their place on the ice. As does both traditional media and digital media have their place in any marketing mix.
Thanks for your article… see you on the ice!
–Joshua