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How to be more tiger

By Adrian Nicholls, Managing director and partner

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February 11, 2022 | 4 min read

Rather than put his finger in the air for 2022 predictions, BBP Agency's managing director and partner Adrian Nicholls turns to the Chinese Calendar to see what marketers might learn.

BBP Agency on the qualities that the tiger represents and how marketers can embrace these.

BBP Agency on the qualities that the tiger represents and how marketers can embrace these.

2022 is the year of the tiger, more specifically the water tiger – so how do we be more tiger?

Here’s a definition to get us started: ‘The tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac sign tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness.’

Let’s take these features one by one: strength; exorcising evils; bravery.

Strength

One of marketing’s key strengths right now is content. The good news is that content marketing budgets look set to increase. With higher-value content pieces such as podcasts tipped to be more in demand, this can only be good news.

Campaigns – a traditional strength – might need some work in 2022. I hope they become more joined-up and less singular. As marketing continues to evolve beyond advertising and branding, it starts to roll-into customer experiences and sales teams. A campaign needs to live and breathe throughout all customer touchpoints: the TV ad, the digital banner, the website, the call center, the showroom.

Driving from awareness to leads will be critical in this linked-up world. The toolbox for marketers looking to drive leads is likely to expand, with access to new digital channels not previously used much in B2B.

This might just allow more marketers’ work to go more mainstream. Platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram stories are increasingly being used within lead generation and ABM campaigns, as well as CTV advertising.

Exorcising evils

This really could be a long list. But let’s keep it marketing-focused. Is marketing evil? Anti-marketeers point to three areas to make the evil argument.

First, damaging personal autonomy. The victim of marketing in this case is the intended buyer whose right to self-determination is infringed.

Second, causing harm to competitors. Excessively fierce competition and unethical marketing tactics are especially associated with saturated markets.

Third, manipulating social values. The victim in this case is society as a whole, or the environment as well. The argument is that marketing promotes consumerism and waste.

I’m guessing none of the above can be leveled at us, not knowingly, but it doesn’t matter. If someone somewhere feels the above, then we need to do more in 2022 to shift opinion.

How do we ensure self-determination is not infringed in 2022? What unethical marketing tactics could we stop doing next year? How can marketing promote less consumerism in 2022?

In the words of Billy Joel: ‘Honesty is hardly ever heard, and mostly what I need from you’.

Bravery

Well, bravery could mean turning our backs on a lot of the above, admitting where we did wrong and promising not to do it again. Who said a tiger can’t change its stripes?

It could mean sticking to our gut reactions, flashing your claws when you just know something will work, and ignoring the focus group.

Or maybe put our money where our mouths are, and next year adopt a tiger, and properly do some good.

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