BOW+ARROW

Hockey vs. Figure Skating, Part II

July 6th, 2009
by Mike O'Toole

Summer is the season for sequels, so why should the Complex Brand be any different.

Digital marketing is to hockey as traditional campaigns are to figure skating, or so goes the analogy that I laid out (with a nod to Evan Grossman) in this MarketingProfs post.
I asked for people to extend the analogy, and a couple of insightful responders did just that. Here are some highlights:

Hockey vs. Figure skating is a false choice. Elements of both are necessary.
“Contrary to the buzz emanating from the hype spots online, there is more to marketing than social media and inbound marketing. Many of us still need “outbound” channels to get the reach and frequency and make things happen. Until old media “dies”, we’ll all have to deal with this friction between “perfect” and “good enough”.
-Frank Days (@tangyslice on Twitter)

“I would characterize the difference between hockey and figure skating as the difference between play and performance…the emerging world of marketing doesn’t just need hockey players anymore than the traditional world only needed figure skaters. The real challenge, and why the focus on the people becomes paramount, is that companies today need marketing professionals with the stamina, focus, and flexibility of the player as well as the finesse, poise, and artistry of the performer”.

-Matthew T Grant (@matthew_t_grant on Twitter)

If you want to know which kind of marketing you’re doing, consider who is judging your success:
“Old marketing was aimed at the judges – like a figure skating performance – who were the people who paid for it not the people who consumed it. Digital marketing is aimed at the consumers – like a game of ice hockey its for the fans – who attend, follow online, on TV, on iphone, etc.”

-Richard Lipscombe, @digitalwarrrior on Twitter)

One other thought I’ll add: follow the money. As marketing moves more to the rough-and-tumble from the rare-and-refined, the economics are changing. There will be less up-front compensation for the big idea, and more ongoing payment streams for the campaign in execution. For agencies and marketers, at the very least this means looking at revenue (or expense) recognition very differently. And yes, we’ll also start to see more pay for performance over time.

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