James Hurman on Marketing’s Own Communication Deficit

In a recent LinkedIn post, James Hurman discusses a critical self-inflicted wound within the marketing industry: its failure to effectively communicate its own value, particularly to non-marketing stakeholders. Hurman highlights a poignant observation from Dara Treseder, former CMO of Peloton, stating, “Marketing has not done a very good job of marketing marketing.” This sentiment forms the crux of Hurman’s argument that the discipline often struggles to articulate its commercial impact, especially concerning brand marketing initiatives.

The Absent Education of Stakeholders

Hurman asserts that a significant gap exists in educating those outside the marketing department about the discipline’s contributions. This lack of foundational understanding, as Hurman points out, leads to a broader difficulty in justifying marketing’s role and its investment. He elaborates on this challenge, stating:

“Our education to non-marketing stakeholders on the value of marketing has been more or less absent in most cases.”

This absence, according to Hurman, leaves marketing departments vulnerable when discussing budgets and strategies, as the inherent value proposition is not universally understood or appreciated. The implication is that without a clear, consistent message about marketing’s impact, its strategic importance can be easily underestimated.

Bridging the Brand Marketing Value Gap

A key area where this communication breakdown is particularly acute, as identified by Hurman, is in explaining the commercial value derived from brand marketing. While performance marketing often has more direct, quantifiable links to sales, brand building’s long-term, often intangible, benefits can be harder to demonstrate. Hurman notes the industry’s struggle here:

“We’re especially poor at answering the question ‘how does brand marketing add commercial value?'”

Despite this admitted weakness, Hurman suggests that a robust answer exists. He references a video within his original post that delves into this very question, indicating that the knowledge and frameworks to effectively communicate brand marketing’s ROI are available, but perhaps not widely disseminated or utilized. This points to an internal challenge for the marketing community to adopt and champion these explanations.

Call to Action and Further Insights

Hurman’s post serves not only as a critique but also as an invitation for dialogue and learning. He directs readers to a full talk from the International Advertising Association’s Creativity Dimensions event in Bucharest for a deeper exploration of the topic. As Hurman indicates, the insights shared are crucial for anyone looking to enhance their understanding and application of marketing effectiveness.

He concludes by encouraging followers to engage with his content for ongoing insights into advertising and marketing effectiveness, and to learn more about the Master of Advertising Effectiveness online program. This positions Hurman as a thought leader actively working to elevate the marketing profession’s strategic standing through better communication and education.