Is Marketing An Experiment?

by. Sean McDonald

Hello everyone!  Back from vacation means back to the blogging!

Recently, a good friend and colleague of mine was let go by his credit union. No names will be shared to protect him (the innocent and insanely talented) as well as to protect the credit union (although I’d love to call them out by name for reasons you will see in a second.)

My friend isn’t out of a job because of performance – that’s the good news.  His credit union actually eliminated his position.  Wait, it gets worse!  Not only was his position eliminated but the entire marketing function at the credit union was jettisoned into the abyss.  The reasoning (and this is a direct quote from the credit union’s executive management) “we’re done with the marketing experiment.”

To be honest, at first I was stunned when I heard that.  But as I thought about it more, it dawned upon me that marketing (as a function) still does not garner the respect it deserves.  To be blunt: marketing is NOT an experiment.  It is a crucial function for credit unions.  Marketing is a catalyst for growth and anyone who has ever worked in marketing understands that their efforts are a critical part of an organization’s operations.  To refer to marketing as an experiment is not only ignorant but incredulously stupid.

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