Marketing + Conduct: Why the Best Marketers Aren’t Just Technicians
- samarahjohansson
- Nov 27, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 19
You can learn marketing technology. You can learn AI shortcuts. You can even master “Best Practices.” And yet, you’ll never truly be on top of it.
Marketing is evolving too quickly—new platforms, new buyer behaviors, and new AI-powered efficiencies are rewriting the rulebook every quarter.
So what should you actually aim to do if you want to thrive in what is arguably the world’s most difficult profession?
Think Beyond Tools and Tactics
Technical expertise matters—but it’s not enough. What separates an outstanding marketer from a competent one is the ability to zoom out, challenge assumptions, and bring structure to complexity.
That means:
Holistic Strategy: Developing marketing plans where every channel, message, and initiative supports a unified “attack plan.”
Critical Thinking: Asking why and why not, questioning definitions, and refusing to settle for “business as usual.”
Practical Input: Involving your competitive landscape experts—salespeople, business analysts, and market researchers—so that strategies are grounded in reality, not just theory.
In today’s organizations, marketing talent is often fragmented. Specialists operate in silos—performance marketers focus on clicks, content creators nurture brand voice, product and UX teams optimize features, PR experts manage reputation. Each excels in their lane, but very few know how to zoom out and weave the entire picture together. And this is where great marketers stand apart.
The 3C’s Framework: Conducting, Conductor, and Conduct
A marketer becomes truly valuable to an organization not simply by mastering tools, but by embodying three dimensions of leadership:
1. Conducting
Think of this as knowledge flow. A strong marketer connects stakeholders and experts, ensuring that insights, ideas, and feedback move freely. This isn’t just about gathering data—it’s about building relationships and trust across departments. When information flows smoothly, strategies become sharper and execution becomes easier.
2. Conductor
Here the metaphor is orchestral. Just as a conductor ensures harmony among diverse instruments, a marketer must orchestrate campaigns across channels, message themes, product launches, and industry events. This requires not only timing and structure but also respect for ROI, KPIs, budgets, and resources. The role demands vision and discipline: aligning the short-term tactical wins with long-term brand equity.
3. Conduct
Finally, none of this works without integrity. The best marketers lead by example—treating colleagues and customers with respect, encouraging experimentation, and normalizing both successes and failures as part of a learning culture. This human dimension builds credibility and creates the psychological safety that teams need to innovate.
Why Conduct Matters More Than Ever
In an age where AI can generate campaigns in seconds and automation can scale outreach overnight, the human advantage lies not in efficiency but in orchestration and judgment. Marketers who master the 3C’s of Conduct—conducting information, conducting strategy, and embodying conduct—become more than executors. They become leaders.
Because marketing isn’t just about technology or tactics. It’s about connecting the dots, guiding the symphony, and setting the tone for how a brand shows up in the world.
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