Introduction
Building a cohesive marketing team culture is essential for any organization that wants to succeed in today’s competitive and ever-changing business environment. In my first blog post in this series, I discussed four pillars of a cohesive marketing team culture. In this blog post, I will introduce the final pillar of “Be Bold and Take Risks” and explain why it is essential in building a cohesive marketing culture.
Defining the pillars of a cohesive marketing team culture
Before diving into the new pillar, let me summarize the pillars of a cohesive marketing team culture I discussed in my previous blog post. These pillars include:
- Set Clear Goals: A well-articulated “North Star” is critical for any team. Setting clear goals and sharing them across a team for alignment gives purpose to the team.
- Measure everything: Creating a data-centric culture where team members share their KPIs transparently and progress to KPIs without fear will enable collaboration.
- Earn trust and have fun: High-performing teams spend nearly a fourth of their professional lives with co-workers. An environment where trust is earned makes work fun.
- Be bold and take risks: When you enable all the other three pillars on a team, you can challenge your teams to be risk-takers. Encourage thinking outside the box and celebrate failure as often as you reward success.
Personal Case Study: APB Reloaded
This pillar is about taking calculated risks and being bold in your marketing strategies. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things. I have always been a risk-taker when it comes to marketing. I believe that taking risks is essential for achieving success in today’s fast-paced business environment.
When I was the Chief Marketing Officer at Reloaded Games, one of the most significant risks I took was relaunching the popular game APB in a Free2Play model and rebranding it as APB Reloaded. PC Gaming fans had given up on the game in 2011. My colleagues and I believed in the title, and we acquired it out of bankruptcy and repurposed it. The marketing of the game had to be bold. We created a campaign focused on the game’s legendary avatar personalization system. We partnered with a world-class creative agency, Ayzenberg, and were amongst the first to hire popular YouTube influencers to star in the new video game trailer.
The new Free2Play business model and a bold marketing campaign were huge successes and helped us expand our customer base.
My Inspiration: Apple
Many companies have successfully implemented the “Be Bold and Take Risks” pillar in their marketing culture. One such company is Apple. Their epic advertising campaign in 1984 for the Macintosh was incredibly bold and created a new paradigm in marketing computer hardware. They didn’t stop there. When Steve Jobs returned as CEO, he pushed his team hard to create the Think Different campaign, capturing audiences’ imaginations everywhere. People desired an Apple product because it made them stand out.
Apple’s ability to take risks extended beyond advertisement is also noteworthy. They were the first company to launch a smartphone without a physical keyboard, and despite the criticism from many, it paid off in the end. The iPhone became a huge success and changed the smartphone industry forever.
Tips to foster a risk-taking culture on a team
Here are some tips to promote a risk-taking culture on a team:
- Lead by example: A leader must set an example by taking calculated risks. This will encourage your team members to follow suit.
- Encourage open communication: Encourage your team members to share their ideas and opinions. This will create an environment where everyone feels comfortable taking risks.
- Reward risk-taking: Reward team members who take calculated risks, even if the outcome is unsuccessful. This will encourage others to take risks as well.
- Celebrate failure: Celebrate failure as a learning opportunity. Encourage your team members to learn from their mistakes and use them to improve.
- Create a safe environment: Create a safe environment where team members feel comfortable taking risks. This includes providing psychological safety, where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of judgment.
Conclusion
Building a cohesive marketing culture is essential for any organization that wants to succeed in today’s competitive business environment. Being bold is about taking calculated risks and being aggressive in your marketing strategies. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things. By implementing this pillar in your marketing culture, you can achieve great success and take your organization to new heights. However, taking risks is not always easy. It requires courage and a willingness to fail. I have failed many times in my marketing career, but I have learned from my mistakes and used them as opportunities to grow and improve.
I hope you find this blog series informative and engaging. If you have any questions or comments, please leave me a comment. You can also follow me on LinkedIn, and I look forward to connecting with you.
Image created using AI with Adobe Firefly. Prompt: Colorful Unicorn taking risks rolling the dice, pastel colors, blue smoke; dark abstract hyperrealistic photograph
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