How To Remove Marketing Bias

(By Gil Gerretsen) My middle school art teacher was arrested for defacing the license plate on her car. At the time, the license plates for the Canadian province of Alberta were orange letters on a blue background. Apparently, this color combination offended her artistic preferences, so she decided to paint the plate and numbers a different color. After I read the news report (and after I finished laughing) I remembered that she was a very opinionated person with respect to matters of art and color. I also recalled that she had often chastised students for drawing or painting things that she felt were wrong. Her opinions and preferences mattered more than anyone else.

Whenever I think of this story, I am also reminded that many professionals, entrepreneurs, or marketing and sales people exhibit similar behavior when working on their projects or with their customers. Although not consciously aware of it, people working in advertising or marketing agencies are especially guilty of such biases and behaviors. It is even something I have to be careful to avoid when mentoring my own clients.

Why can this be an issue in business? The core problem is that we are elevating personal preferences over the preferences of the audience. The reality should be that what you like, or dislike, should not matter. Although your personal preferences may not get you into legal trouble like my art teacher, you can indeed get yourself into marketing trouble. People can see when you behave this way. It sends the message that you think of yourself more highly than you think of them. That you are smarter than they are. When you send such a subtle message, it turns people off and violates any potential trust.

So, what should you do? It is hard, but you must constantly ask yourself whether any biases are creeping into your work. Often, it is wise to have a differently minded associate evaluate your efforts with this specific question in mind. Further, make a concerted effort to get into your target audience’s mind. The better you understand their way of thinking, the more effective you will become at adjusting your thoughts accordingly. You do not have to agree, but you must comply.

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