Planes, Trains and Automobiles is my favourite Thanksgiving movie. In fact it’s probably one of my 5 “Stuck on a Desert Island Movies” along with The Naked Gun, Nacho Libre, Anchorman and a 2nd copy of Anchorman in case something tragic happens to the 1st. (Unrelated, my application to be an Oscar voter keeps being rejected).
The basic gist of Planes, Trains and Automobiles is that two people with a shared goal of getting home for the Thanksgiving holidays endure a series of mishaps, jokes and personality conflicts before finally reaching their goal, at which point they discover an appreciation for each other. There’s laughter, tears and a hearty dose of profanity. It’s reminds me of some of the campaigns we’ve worked on for clients. (Just kidding. Mostly.)
With Thanksgiving approaching, we thought it would be a good time to remember with fondness what we are thankful for as marketers and as a marketing agency. What are the moments that cause us to give a vigorous fist pump? I polled the staff at GET LIFT as well as some of our clients and here are a selection of the responses that made me smile or nod my head.
Seeing Great Ideas Turned into Reality
The act of marketing is fun but the real good stuff, what it’s all about, is when things come together. When you change people’s minds, when a launch goes gangbusters, when the business is doubling every year, when you get others excited about a new way of thinking, when you look back and realize the ideas you had are reality, and are working, and are actually growing the business. I mean, done right, marketing is like crack. No wonder we’re all hooked. – Katie Martell (Marketing Consultant)
Having a stranger on a plane who doesn’t know what you do bring up the product you recently launched, talk about what it does, and tell you why they are excited about it – Sharon Power (GET LIFT)
I enjoy being close to the revenue stream of the company and seeing how programs I run impact the organization’s revenue. – Lisset Sanchez-Schwartz (Citrix)
Shiny New Technology
My work is always interesting and varied. I get to learn about new technologies and meet the amazing people who are coming with innovative ways to use our solutions to create something new and different. – Anne Renehan (Adobe).
As a marketer, I’m thankful for innovative companies that push marketing boundaries. These cutting-edge technologies allow me to make smarter targeting decisions, and I get to create cool, interactive experiences that support a positive customer journey. – Kaitlin Bowes (Brightcove)
One thing that I’m thankful for being in marketing, especially in tech marketing, is that it always keeps me on the leading edge of trends, new technologies and innovations. I love having that “insiders view” into what’s coming next—before the mainstream population is knowledgeable or even aware it. – Mark Norton (GET LIFT)
Skills are Election-Proof
Because the marketing skillset is in high demand globally, so if I have to leave the United States due to the recent election, I can still work. – Susanne Rodriguez
Helping a Client look like a Superstar
When a client gets a shout out from their boss for a project you helped work on with them and they share it with you. It makes you feel like you are a part of their team and you can share in their wins! – Silvia Chullen (GET LIFT)
When I get to the end of a day with back to back meetings and things were on fire and cats needed herding and you know that you made the client’s day easier or made them look like a superstar despite your own exhaustion – Lori Franze (GET LIFT)
Collaboration
When you are working on a project and you are in the zone with the team and working well together – Michelle Froats (GET LIFT)
Collaborative customers – Agency clients who treat you just like a member of their internal team – asking you to be involved in planning, requesting your presence at meetings, wanting you to speak your opinion – Sharon Power (GET LIFT)
Basically, anytime when a client has a last-minute request, you’re able to get the creative team on board, copy is written, and you’re able to have the final product delivered back in time to meet the client’s expectations… High five all around! – Brittany Sherrard (GET LIFT)
Personal Growth and Creativity
Today, my best days, and the ones in which I make dramatic-style fist pumps, are the ones in which I see my own growth as a marketer. I’m grateful that I’m able to use both sides of my brain on a daily basis – creativity and the ability to draw insights from analytics so I can give our clients’ customers experiences that are mutually beneficial. – Jamey Diepen (GET LIFT)
“When you are able to gain strategic insights and learn from the experiences of executive marketers who believe in your abilities and provide you the opportunities you need to grow as a millennial B2B marketer” – Geeta Sakhuja (GET LIFT)
Perspective from Going Beyond the Surface
Once you study and understand the strategies behind marketing, you start to look at the world with new eyes. You recognize the marketing behind everything around you. I’m thankful to be on this side of the computer, because it’s provided a kind of literacy in understanding our world, especially the media, how it works, and why it’s so powerful. – Katie Martell (Marketing Consultant)
Marketers get the ‘behind the scenes’ view since it’s often a connection point between customers, product and sales and everything that goes on to support these relationships. I often find it challenging to consume anything (products, media) without having my mind go a bit deeper into the decisions made around messaging, positioning, pricing and targeting. I wouldn’t have it any other way. – David Pereira (GET LIFT)
Recognition
Hearing a recent story about how a client sent your co-workers flowers for meeting yet another last-minute request. Like, how sweet is that?! And it goes to show us that our clients are real people too. – Brittany Sherrard (GET LIFT)
I pump my first like crazy when a client tells me they have recommended us to another Line-of-Business or contact in their company – Stephanie Clarke (GET LIFT)
On behalf of the team at GET LIFT Agency, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, football and lots of entertaining political debates (or tirades). If this post got you thinking about some of the reasons you enjoy marketing, please share in the comments below.