Creativity Versus Rigorous Analytical Thinking in Marketing Practices

Despite of the latest development in marketing researches and marketing efforts, marketers in practice still struggle to juggle between two sides of marketing –the creativity and the rigorous analytical thinking. Too often both collide. It is then the job of marketing manager and all his or her subordinates to balance it.

From practical point of view, there are several obstacles that keep marketers away from success. Some of these major obstacles are :
• Stakeholders’ reluctance to adopt marketing innovations
• Senior executives’ negative response toward new ideas
• Financial considerations

Let’s face the truth in business. To implement creative ideas, a business needs to invest some amount of financial resources. And that is without any guaranteed success. By nature, marketers –or at least good marketers- must be willing to take risks. To “burn some money” without any guarantee of success. Yes, of course, the probability of success should be significant, which is proven through marketing researches. But still, like every entrepreneurs are aware, innovation bear risks. What if the money invested don’t bring any return and only fail? What if competitor already launches the idea first? You never know about it. You cannot even predict without 100% accuracy. But risks must be taken.

Business is not a soft touchy world. It is a harsh environment. So, are stakeholders, senior executives, and financial managers support the marketing innovations? Too many often, they are the ones who kill marketing innovations idea before at least tiny part of it being implemented. Or worse, marketers are given the “lips service” to implement the idea, without sufficient resources –money, people, time- to get the innovation working.