How is Triathlon like Marketing? Part II

With all the prep and planning that underlie success in both marketing or triathlon, the rubber really meets the road once the gun goes off.  The first portion of a triathlon is a swim.  The frenzy of arms and legs thrashing about is not too dissimilar to those first moments of a new product hitting the market.  There's confusion, relief at getting started, some blows to the head, and an understanding the critical mistakes made at this point will have a lasting impact, but may not be ultimately fatal - if you keep your wits about you.

Practically, there are some other similarities.  For instance, many times the swim takes place in a river or lake and involves a couple of changes in direction.  This requires that the athlete actually break form and look up once in a while to make sure they're on course.  In marketing, sometimes we're so busy executing our plans that we fail to look around and see what's happening - and by this I mean check the data that can provide real-time feedback so that we can, like the swimmer, alter our course if needed.  I've noticed that many companies have "swum" themselves into a giant pickle by not planning to look around and check the data periodically. They are simply committed to executing the plan, one step at a time, so they can check action items off the to-do list.  Bad idea.

For the triathlete, the data is simple - look up and see if the big orange buoy is directly ahead of you. For marketers, it isn't usually quite so easy.  Examples might include sales (duh), the number and quality of prospects at certain gateway points, conversion rates, press/review mentions, etc.  All in all, a combination of several data elements is typically the best idea.  The best part is that, unlike the swimmer, who when she checks her position she'll become less mechanically efficient for a short moment, marketers shouldn't see a measurable loss of momentum if they lift their heads up to look around - at least not if they've begun the process of execution with the thought of periodic position checks in mind.

The triathlon swim also presents another interesting similarity.  The muscles used in swimming are not, by and large, the same as those required for the bike and run.  Driving especially hard during the swim will require some amount of our energy reserves, sure, but tired arms and shoulders shouldn't keep you from running or biking fast.  Different muscles, different disciplines.  Marketing, especially for new product introductions, is similar in that the critical early efforts to build buzz, engage the thought leaders within the community, etc. require a different emphasis early than they will later on, once the product is fully established. 

The best marketers, then, are those that know a transition is coming as well as what the upcoming key activities will be and will prepare for them.  Transitions - the topic for next time.  Till then, keep the pedals turning and attack every hill like it wants to hurt your mama!