Being Able to Handle Tasks ≠ Being Able to Produce Results | The Trap Young Marketers Often Fall Into

Are you becoming a 'task-oriented marketer'?

"I finished my tasks today!" "The meeting went through without a hitch!"
You manage to handle the daily grind of tasks and navigate internal processes. You start to feel like you're doing a good job.

Times like these might be a red flag.
"Being able to handle tasks" and "being able to produce results" are two different things.

I will share what I keep in mind to help young marketers escape the trap of becoming a 'marketer who just handles tasks'.

Self-Introduction

Nice to meet you, I am Samugari | Consumer Goods Marketer.

I am in my 18th year at a major consumer goods manufacturer, working in marketing. Recently, I led the turnaround of a cosmetics brand that was struggling with both declining sales and profits, achieving a V-shaped recovery.

Currently, as an active marketer, I manage entire brands and projects while also building teams and developing members.

"Being able to handle tasks" and "being able to produce results" are different

Marketers are often overwhelmed by a massive amount of work.

Many projects of various sizes run in parallel, and because we coordinate with many departments, there are many meetings and discussions. There are internal processes to follow for every task, which is hard enough just to learn. On top of that, a mountain of small miscellaneous tasks comes pouring in.

And then, you become fully occupied just getting things done.

Then, once you manage to handle tasks smoothly and get internal processes approved, you start to feel, "Maybe I'm getting better at this!" and before you know it, handling tasks and keeping work moving smoothly becomes the goal.

I feel like there are surprisingly many people who fall into this 'task-oriented marketer' trap. Honestly, I was like that in the beginning too...

However, you must be intensely aware of one thing.

Completing individual tasks, operations, and navigating internal processes are merely the process.

I have never seen anyone produce results without escaping this 'task-oriented marketer' mindset.
You end up in a state where you complete many tasks but don't produce much in the way of results (I wish I could tell my past self this...).

The major harm of being a 'task-oriented' marketer

The most dangerous thing about falling into the trap of being a 'task-oriented' marketer is that you end up unconsciously engaging in 'marketing without the consumer in mind'.
This is a sight I see all too often. Truly...

The reason for this is that getting through internal processes becomes the goal.
When your focus is entirely on getting through internal approval processes, your decisions end up being based solely on the preferences of the approvers. The target audience and the consumer are left out.

While doing this, the target audience and the consumer are left out.

Of course, to execute what you believe needs to be done, you have to navigate internal processes well, so that is important.

However, these two things are essentially what matter.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✓ Is it right for the customer? (Will it move their feelings and actions?)
✓ Is it right for the brand?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I believe it is good if these two things serve as the foundation for internal discussions.

Conversely, if these two things are not met, no matter how easy it is to get internal approval, you shouldn’t do it.

Once I have thought these two things through thoroughly, if people on the sidelines start offering intuitive opinions or off-the-cuff advice, I think I should properly explain and persuade them.

Knowing how to navigate internally to move in the right direction is also an important skill.If you cannot move the internal team, you cannot move the consumer either.

※This does not mean you should ignore internal matters entirely.
Since we work in an organization, the money and resources we use belong to the company, so I believe appropriate approval processes are necessary, including from a governance perspective.

The kind of marketer you should aim to be

So, what kind of marketer should you aim to be? What I often tell myself and my team members is,

“Let’s not be task-oriented marketers, but marketing professionals!”

To put it a bit more clearly,
“Let’s aim to be marketers who can ‘move people’s hearts (perceptions) and prompt action’!”.

The purpose of every single task and job should all lead to this.

Creating materials, meetings, and discussions with agencies all exist to 'move people's hearts and encourage action'.
I think it would be wonderful to become a marketer who always thinks about this.

Practical methods

And, what I personally feel very strongly is,

that is.

No matter how talented you are, there are times when you get overwhelmed by tasks and work (especially during the production phase of communication measures).

However, just by having this awareness, you can objectively see that 'I've become a task-oriented marketer right now' and rethink your actions. Even if you are chased by tasks at that moment, you can return to the right path once things settle down.

Also, when you are being chased by tasks, or in meetings or planning sessions,

'Was there even a millimeter of perspective on value for the customer, or on encouraging the target's feelings and actions in the content so far?'

I try to ask myself this question. When I do, there are moments when I am struck by the realization.

It's simple, so if you feel like you might be becoming a task-oriented marketer, I think it might be good to try it.

Summary

'Being able to handle tasks' and 'being able to produce results' are different things.

What you should aim for is a marketer who can'move people's hearts (perceptions) and encourage action.'

To avoid 'marketing without the consumer in mind'
What is essentially important are these two judgment axes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✓ Is it right for the customer (will it move their feelings and actions)?
✓ Is it right for the brand?
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I believe that just by having this awareness, you can become a wonderful marketer.

If you found this article even slightly helpful, I would appreciate your support with a like or a follow.
I will continue to share "marketing templates" that you can use in your daily work.

If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to share them!