What Exactly is the Job of a Marketer?

Gary Vaynerchuck speaks about marketing frequently, one of his messages that resonates with me is;

We, as marketers, are in a constant fight to the death for the attention of our target consumers, that is our job and that is what we do!

We Might be Good, but Mickey Mouse is Better

Touchee! This morning was just another routine morning, wake up at 5 am and start preparing for another day of hard work, sales, meetings and most importantly prepare for my role as father and caretaker for our 7 month old pride and joy, Gia, from ~ 5:30 until ~ 8:00 am. Momma takes over at 8am so I take a lot of pride in my 2-3 hours of papa time.

So, 5:30 rolls around and Gia is in front of the television ready for her morning dose of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, usually I have about 15-30 minutes of smile time BUT today she was not interested. Gia completely ignored me, would not acknowledge my presence. YES, my feelings were hurt a little bit but I get it, BUT, do I really get it?

I accept my fate as playing 2nd fiddle to Mickey and I ping one of my good friends, one of my mentors and mention that I just lost out to Mickey. She then responds;

Mike, you lost because Disney and Mickey are the MASTERS of fighting for the attention of children. You might be a good marketer, a good sales person BUT you when it comes to children and Mickey Mouse, you will lose!

We have all heard, “you can’t fight city hall”, I guess we can add “you can’t fight Mickey Mouse” to our bag of idioms.

The Lifetime Value of Mickey Mouse

That conversation with my friend and mentor consumed my morning, trying to figure out how the heck can I win back the attention of baby Gia. Finally, I accepted the advice and words of wisdom, I accept for that particular amount of time, for 30 minutes of Gia’s life and for 30 minutes of my life, MICKEY WON!

Here is what I have since (in the past 2 hours) come to appreciate, I have come to appreciate the franchise, brand and power of Mickey. When I started a conversation on social media, some trusted friends came running to console me and mentioned; “Mike, you do not realize it but Mickey is a blessing, Mickey is a built in babysitter when you need to take a shower, when you need to cook when you need some down time. The day will come when Mickey is no longer an effective babysitter, you will miss those days.”

Disney and Mickey have hit this one out of the ballpark! They have created a brand and a franchise that children LOVE and that parents LOVE. In many respects the entertainment value, dare I say the “babysitter value” and dare I say the “lifetime value” of Mickey Mouse in our lives is un-measurable! Disney and Mickey have extended a #OverwhelmingValue for a lifetime AND as a result we (parents) will continue to purchase Mickey Mouse stuffed animals, Mickey Mouse toys and Mickey Mouse products, services and subscriptions. We are loyal customers, FOR LIFE – That my friends is what #LifetimeValue is all about!

In the World of Twitter – Mickey Mouse & Marketing

.@TanjaBabichABC7 with #BMOLightsFest Marketing Chair @danielnzt. We see you Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse! pic.twitter.com/IjT9nKjxOW

— The Magnificent Mile (@TheMagMile) November 19, 2015

Want some of Mickey Mouse’s star power? Learn from the Disney blog’s content marketing strategy here: https://t.co/YG5GpbDF0w #disney

— ProseMedia.com (@prose) October 28, 2015

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“I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known.” – Walt Disney #marketing #MarketingQuote pic.twitter.com/KMBxIthFP5

— Mark Olajos (@MrkOlajos) October 11, 2015