A Newsletter on Marketing (and Life) #018

Lottery Strategy + Anxiety + 2 NEW books

Author

Jordan Ogren
October 20, 2023

"Did you see yourself at 28 working with a bunch of crazy women?" – Michelle (our Executive VP).

I laughed. I never saw myself being here. (note: the crazy part is a joke)

Nine years ago, I was trying to become a hip-hop artist.
Seven years ago, I was trying to become a producer.
Six years ago, I began my marketing journey.

And here we are, still on that journey.

And that's only the professional side.

Twelve years ago, I wanted to kill myself.
Ten years ago, I had no direction.
Eight years ago, I met Kate.

And then everything changed.

I'm a husband.
I love the life I have.
I know so many amazing humans.

God has been too good.
With discipline and courage.
Along with many friends holding me up.

I know one day I’ll look back on these times as humble beginnings, but love being here. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm exactly where I need to be.

Do you look at your current position similarly?

I hold this perspective by relying on daily habits and prayer to follow God's plan.

And where I am today…I'm content with. I know God will use me here.
And tomorrow will be different, and I will be content with that too.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV).

Enjoy this week's letter:

Marketing Micro Essay 💡 Lottery strategy

(Time to read: 1:32 minutes)

"Our strategy is to go viral and be reshared by a few influencers who will cement us as a quality brand."

This isn't a strategy. It's a pipe dream, like hoping for a grand slam in the 9th inning with two outs.

I've repeatedly come across these pipe dreams dressed like strategies. The result is wasted effort and time that could've been spent uncovering real insights to develop a good strategy, as Richard Rumelt would say.

An example would be software made for marketers, yet the only way they could be successful is if agencies began using it with their multitude of clients (thus rapidly spreading it). It sounds like an intelligent plan until you realize the probability of success is less than 1%.

The same would hold if I sold a financial product and relied on local banks to pick it up and sell it for me.

Both sound like good "strategies," yet neither would help me make progress in areas I control.

In the end, if the one event doesn't happen, you're screwed.

I call this a lottery strategy or one-in-a-million strategy.

The strategy only works once if you run a simulator a million times. And that one chance of hitting the lottery keeps you believing you have a solid strategy rather than improving your bad strategy.

Rather than coin the antithesis of lottery strategies as Realistic Strategy, I prefer to use the concept of Strategic Pragmatism or Pragmatic Strategy.

Pragmatic, in the context of strategic (marketing) planning, refers to a practical and realistic approach that considers a situation's actual circumstances, resources, and limitations.

In contrast, a pragmatic strategy focuses on identifying practical steps and actions that can be taken to make meaningful progress toward your org's goals. It emphasizes adaptability, flexibility, and a willingness to adjust the strategy based on feedback and real-world outcomes.

The first step on the pragmatic path is to diagnose your current marketing.

Where is it working, and where is it doing little for your bottom line?

  • How is the website doing?

  • What type of content are we deploying?

  • What is the marketing budget, and where is it being allocated?

All simple questions provide you clarity on the lay of the land.

Only after answering them can you develop practical steps to overcome those deficiencies and maximize your strengths.

To be continued... Click here to save the link for future updates

📹 Marketing Clip of the Week

How do you define marketing?

Myles Madden: "Delivering the right message to the right person at the right time."

(👇such a beautiful face 😮)

Three Books – Three Quotes

"There are innumerable ways to write badly. The usual way is making sentences that don’t say what you think they do. What can the reader possibly believe? Your sentences or you?”

– Verlyn Klinkenborg (Several Short Sentences About Writing)

"Competition can be good up to a certain point. The key is knowing what that point is and having the wherewithal to pivot around it.”

“Grief is different. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate the dailiness of life.”

– Joan Didion (The Year of Magical Thinking)

Heard – Saw – Experienced

I heard, saw, and experienced so much this week. So many insights…

I’m sorry I failed to prioritize writing them this (busy) week. I failed you and myself.

Next week I’ll be back with my weekly report. No more excuses.

Personal micro-essay 🙆‍♂️ ON anxiety

I never believed in anxiety.

I thought it was made up, not real. Something that doesn't happen to strong, resilient people.

Then it hit me.

I remember the night vividly, March 2021. I was finishing up homework on my laptop while lying on the couch. I went to get up, and when I did, I felt a sensation in my left arm, and then my heart began palpitating.

Nervous, I began to panic. I started walking to my fiancé but felt dizzy and stopped mid-journey at the table. I thought I was dying.

That was my first panic/anxiety attack. And it wasn't the last.

I probably had over 100 in the three months leading up to our wedding. And when I researched online (IFKYK), I found many had similar experiences. Some later in life after working relentlessly, and others, like me, early in their journey. I was open to the fact that anxiety is a human trait.

It manifests itself in everyone in some form. Some have more, and others have it in specific situations.

Looking back on my life, I see it in many ways. I was an anxious, awkward, and nervous boy.

There is no rhyme or reason for anxiety; I haven't found it. Yes, my mother is overly anxious. But my middle brother seems immune to it. Life doesn't have an algorithm for how it works (e.g., why some things affect some and not others).

While I seem melancholy over this, it has made me better.

I'm a better person because of my anxiety.

"But he said to me,' My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

I still don't understand the above. But I am beginning to understand and appreciate the power of my weaknesses. The constraints of who I am free me to be me.

My anxiety forces me to work less at certain times.
My anxiety forces me to meditate and exercise daily.
My anxiety limits my ability to think in tense situations.

I can see these walls (constraints) as those of a prison or on the edge of a cliff, keeping me from falling off while I run around freely. I heard that analogy from a pastor. It was eye-opening

That was a hard realization that I'm slowly accepting and letting invade my inner workings.

Works in progress:

I appreciate you being here.

God bless you in the coming week. May joy, love, and peace be near to you.

– Jo (every second counts)