Marketing and Military Metaphors
May 10, 2010
Published in 
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeIf you start working in the marketing promotion and brand management space, you’ll quickly notice that a lot of the jargon sounds sort of “military-like.” Experienced managers often talk about developing strategic targets/flanker strategies, launching campaigns & driving guerrilla marketing.
Military Mindsets
Al Ries and Jack Trout developed the warfare / marketing metaphor in their go-go 80s business book entitled Marketing Warfare. The title perfectly fit the Cold War zeitgeist. 80s marketers likely connected with references to cola wars and burger wars, etc. after checking out screenings of Top Gun and reading Tom Clancy novels.
Corporate Mindsets
On the flip side, the dominate institution of our day (the corporation) has influenced military jargon and mindsets. Intelligence services offer products & services and private security companies operate with corporate like efficiency.
Kinder, Gentler
By 2010, however, warfare fatigue seems to have set in with respect to military metaphors and business thought leadership. Command-and-control brand management has come under fire as of late for being outdated and unable to cope with the new realities of the agile web. Admittedly, in the new world of collaborative and open brands, top-down military references don’t really seem to fit. Plus, in a day of bank bailouts and corporate greed, people don’t want to hear that they are being “targeted” by people who bizarrely seem to understand their preferences better than they do…
As Pres. Obama recently pointed out in a speech to the Naval Academy: “After an era when so many institutions and individuals acted with such greed and recklessness, it is no wonder that our military remains the most trusted institution in the nation.” Obama went on to positively highlight what he called the “selflessness and service of all of the armed forces.”
Businesses and marketers have adopted a lot of operational military jargon over the years; it might be time to pick up on some on the values related jargon (selflessness and service) as well.
Peace.
Related articles
- Why Targetting Is The Wrong Marketing Mindset. (makemarketinghistory.blogspot.com)
- Looking for Signs of Intelligent Marketing Life – Part 1 (blogs.constantcontact.com)
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2 Comments
The military metaphors are definitely passe. However, when we take out the bombs and notions of intense battle, there remains in just war scenarios a sense of purpose, courage, and intent to win that remains admirable.
So can metaphors of war, competitive battles, or strife coexist with marketing today, and the millenials? I think so, however the “fight” will need to be framed in terms of what WE as an organization of individuals are up against, and how can we continue to pursue excellence. Objectivity and purpose are paramount. The competition becomes irrelevant.
I personally find a sense of nobility in fighting a just war. However, there is a requisite need to leave behind negative emotions and concepts of enemies. Those things are incompatible with future brands and leaders within them.
Mario,
Excellent comment, thank you. Love the just war point.