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The Stark Reality of the AMI

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Gene Stark is the principal of Stark Reality, a marketing consultancy working with B2B and Professional Services Companies who find it difficult to find, attract and retain customers with ever decreasing budgets. Stark Reality provides SME’s with simple, effective, and accountable marketing solutions that increase their marketing R.O.I using brand communication disciplines and processes previously only available to and affordable by large corporations. 

Gene is a Member of the Institute of Management Consultants, an Associate Member of the Australian Marketing Institute, and a Certified Practicing Marketer. He can be contacted by email or on 0411 989 309.

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This post is the third in a series looking at the AMI. Click below to read the others:

  1. What's wrong with the AMI
  2. The Great AMI Debate: Round 2
  3. The Stark Reality of the AMI
  4. The AMI Bites Back
  5. Marketing the Marketers: the UK perspective
  6. Bowll bites back: Geoffrey responds to the AMI

This time, Geoffrey Bowll is "puffing the right muffins"! There are lots of reasons why the AMI as a professional body fails to deliver the recognition and the benefits its members crave, as pointed out in the June 2008 Marketing Magazine and in the comments from marketers to Geoffrey's earlier post.

However the reasons are more linked to the marketing profession itself not just the association that represents it – the AMI. WE are all responsible for the state our profession is in, from educational institutions, through to advertising agencies and marketing consultancies, industry publishers and as individuals.

"… lies, damned lies, and statistics."

I am not sure that the survey of 'one' 50 year old by Mr. Bowll or his own perception is adequate enough a sample to conclude "… so few marketers are happy to call themselves that. Why isn’t it felt to be sexy to be a marketer?"

After three years as an independent SME marketing consultant and over 15 years of being in the profession, completing well over 100 marketing projects, both at corporate and SME levels, my perception is quite different. Having spoken with over 600 SME business owners and hundreds of young people both in the profession and those that know absolutely nothing about it, I conclude that the majority are very proud to say I am "in marketing, advertising, design, etc".

They do not hide and are not 'self loathing' about their chosen career path. Young people not in the profession as well as SME business owners across the board still have a perception of marketing, and advertising as a glamorous industry, much more so than it actually is. As discussed on numerous occasions, many an agency and media outlet is staffed with 'pretty young things' to a greater degree than any other industry with the exception of fashion.

The problem lies in the fact that very few of the "general business population" actually understand what a marketer does and what all of the different marketing disciplines are under the term "marketing". Let’s start educating them!

Common Language is uncommon

The lack of a common marketing language and of course the resulting metrics is the single biggest reason I believe marketing is in trouble. Can you imagine if this was the case with a profession like engineering or medicine? Blood pressure measured differently by different doctors? Hmmm. The Marketing Metrics project by the AMI is taking longer to complete than the pyramids, but you can find the latest report on the AMI website here.

In the meantime, if MarketingProfs, the most useful marketing resource I have found online, can provide their readers and members with useful Templates and How -To-Guides, I see no reason why the AMI could not provide the same and at least encourage its members to stick to guidelines, if not regulate them. Is it any wonder that we are behind other professions? Let’s not pontificate any further.

What can marketers do today?

We can all keep it simple and remember why we are all in this business – to assist our clients (or employers) in selling their products and services. Maybe re-reading the 1927 classic Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins can help more of our colleagues realise how little has changed and bring back the passion for results, making our profession more accountable and respectable. Yes, I know, now I am focusing my attention on advertising – only one of the sub-categories of the marketing mix, yet in reality marketing has become synonymous with promotion (advertising, PR and sales). The reason for this is two-fold:

  1. promotion is, in most cases, the only element of the marketing mix that marketers truly control; and
  2. 80 percent of the marketer’s budget (time and money) is spent on promotion or more correctly in today’s world – communication.

Why is the 'marketing universe' limited to big brands and why does the membership drive of the AMI seem to be limited to the top tier corporations?

We need to promote out profession like professionals, instead of being 'a shoemaker with no shoes', we need to get more funding and increase and diversify the membership ten-fold. Currently, the SME market is completely ignored by the AMI, which is where, together with the graduate segment, the growth in membership has to come from. You don’t see the accounting profession’s member base being limited to the top tier corporations!

3 Comments

StarkReality
  • Wrote on 20 Jun, at 05:16PM
PS:
Last week I spoke at length to Mark Crowe, AMI CEO and just a few hours ago I met with Roger James, Chairman of the AMI to discuss all of the different issues raised by the original article and my own response. I came to the meeting with 11 key suggestions or areas that as a member of the AMI, I felt needed attention. I am excited to report that 8 of my points were already being addressed (exciting times ahead!) and 3 will be discussed by the board at the next meeting.

I feel very confident and comfortable with the direction being pursued by the AMI and also understand the challenges the organization has faced to date. Can these objectives be achieved faster; can the issues be overcome sooner? Absolutely, but WE all need to get involved! I am glad I did.

The outcome I’d like to see in 2014 is one where every business uses the services of a professional marketer just like they do today with accountants and lawyers. Let’s make this a reality.
noisy johnny
  • Wrote on 21 Jun, at 02:37AM
Good one Gene. More should follow your example.
The Marketer
  • Wrote on 21 Jun, at 07:33PM
Gene, a few years ago I spoke at length to Mark Crowe, I came to the meeting with some key suggestion and I was excited to come away with so many promises.

He didnt deliver any!!!

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