In Marketing, It’s Not About What You Like—It’s About What Achieves the Objective
In the world of marketing, personal preferences often creep into decision-making. A team member might love a specific color palette, a catchy slogan, or an edgy design because it “looks cool” or “feels right.” But the harsh truth is: marketing isn’t about what you like—it’s about what works. Effective marketing is rooted in achieving clear, measurable objectives, not in personal taste or subjective opinions.
The Objective Is King
Every marketing effort must serve a defined purpose. Whether the goal is increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting conversions, every decision—from messaging to design—should align with that outcome.
For example, if the objective is to generate more leads for a B2B software product, your campaign must resonate with decision-makers who value efficiency, ROI, and clear solutions. A quirky, vibrant ad may look great to someone who appreciates bold visuals, but if it doesn’t speak to the pain points of your audience or prompt them to take action, it fails. The success of your marketing doesn’t hinge on aesthetic appeal—it hinges on performance.
Data Trumps Opinion
Personal opinions are inherently subjective. What you like may not be what your target audience responds to. That’s why successful marketers rely on data-driven insights to guide their strategies.
Metrics like click-through rates, engagement levels, and conversion rates provide tangible proof of what works and what doesn’t. If an ad campaign featuring a muted color scheme outperforms a flashy alternative, the data speaks for itself. It doesn’t matter if someone on the team “didn’t like it”—the objective was achieved.
Understanding the Audience
At the core of effective marketing lies a deep understanding of your audience. Their needs, preferences, and behaviors are what drive results—not your personal taste. You may love minimalistic branding, but if your audience responds to bold, colorful visuals, then that’s the direction you need to take.
To achieve this, successful marketers put aside personal bias and lean on audience research, customer feedback, and testing. Tools like A/B testing, focus groups, and analytics platforms reveal what truly resonates with your audience, allowing you to refine strategies to maximize results.
Examples of Results-Driven Marketing
To illustrate this point, let’s look at two common scenarios:
- Website Design: A designer might prefer a visually stunning website with complex animations and sleek visuals. However, if the goal is to increase form submissions, a clean layout with clear CTAs and minimal distractions is often more effective.
- Social Media Campaign: A marketer may personally dislike short, punchy copy and prefer storytelling-based captions. But if shorter posts consistently outperform longer ones in terms of engagement and clicks, it’s clear which approach better aligns with the objective.
Removing Ego From Marketing
Marketing can often involve personal pride. Team members might feel attached to a particular idea, design, or approach, especially if they were heavily involved in its creation. But attachment to ideas can cloud judgment. The most effective marketers learn to remove their ego from the process. It’s not about proving that your idea was right—it’s about finding the approach that gets results.
The Power of Testing
One of the best ways to determine what works is through experimentation. By running A/B tests, you can compare two approaches and measure their impact. Testing removes subjectivity from the equation and lets the results decide what resonates with your audience and accomplishes your objective.
For example, instead of debating whether a blue or red button performs better on a landing page, you can test both and use the data to choose the winner. The outcome may surprise you, but the data doesn’t lie.
Conclusion: Results Over Opinions
In marketing, success isn’t defined by aesthetics or personal preferences—it’s defined by outcomes. The next time you’re in a marketing meeting and hear phrases like, “I just don’t like that,” or “This doesn’t feel right to me,” bring the conversation back to the objective.
What does the data say? What does the audience respond to? Is the campaign achieving its goal? These are the questions that matter.
Remember, marketing is about moving the needle.
It’s not about what you like—it’s about what works.