How the Avengers and Your Marketing Team are Basically the Same
“The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable marketers, see if they could become something more.” — Nick Fury, CEO
For over 10 years, Marvel Cinematic has curated some of the best cinematic experiences to ever hit theaters thanks to one group of characters: the Avengers.
The team debuted in 1963 from the imaginative pens of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Since that time, the name has evolved to include a variety of superheroes — each filling a specific need for a story arc or to foil a new villain.
While they don’t have access to Thor’s hammer or Stark’s arc reactor, one group in your business definitely knows a thing or two about teamwork:
Marketers.
Yes, your marketing team is your company’s superheroes.
Separately, each Avenger has his or her own role to play. They have a unique sphere of influence and knock out their personal baddies on a daily basis.
But when you combine these talents together? You get a multi-billion dollar franchise with some of the highest-rated cinema and comic books ever crafted.
Each day, your marketing team saves your clients and your company from competition. They could feel as numerous as the Chitauri, and if you’re a small agency, going up against the big names in your market might seem like you’re going up against Thanos himself.
However, with the right team, your marketing strategy can accomplish something amazing.
Sure, sometimes they get into internal fights. (Ahem, Captain America: Civil War.) However, they don’t stay separated long as they remember that they’ve got bigger trials to conquer.
Captain America: Your Branding Champion
This could be a CMO or similar figure, but they’re the one in a department who sets the tone for your branding initiatives. They work closely with other C-suite members to craft the plan. And, if they’re really excellent at their jobs, they’re right next to the rest of the team in the throes of battle, working on copy points, looking at data, and thinking ahead to how the challenges will evolve in upcoming years.
They’ve been around the marketing block a few times. They know how everyone’s strengths work best together. They coordinate action plans to reach your clients. Plus, it’s not uncommon for them to sit down with the latest thought piece and try to apply it to an overall branding strategy.
Like any good leader, however, they’re also the first one to take the fall and will fight for your team as fiercely as Cap fought for Bucky Barnes in Civil War.
Hulk/Bruce Banner : The Big (Data) Guy
Bruce Banner embodies a passion for science, numbers, and what those numbers tell him about the world around him. When Black Widow calls him to join the Avengers team in the first film, Bruce relies on his understanding of the data presented and wants to keep digging to get concrete answers.
And in more recent appearances from Bruce, we see that he typically applies those data points to what optimizes success for the group. In a similar way, your team’s Bruce Banner will look to data first for insights. They’ll also immediately want to compare data regarding your organization against other industry trends. They’re the one most likely to forward everyone an email about the latest studies from respected websites.
However, your data person has another side to them… Always heed the warnings from your Big Data person; you won’t like him when he’s angry.
Iron Man : Mr. Client Facing
Love him or hate him, Tony Stark knows how to sell. He also knows how to interact with people and persuade them to join his side. (How else do you think he racked up such an impressive team during Civil War?)
Given the Stark legacy, Tony also knows how to leverage brand name and reputation exactly when he needs to, and when to embark on a new narrative for the sake of appealing to a client.
He’s the guy on your team who is half marketing and half sales. He’s obsessed with buyer personas. Plus, your client-facing person knows exactly how to use the data acquired by your Big Data person and leverage it in a way that makes the most sense to your consumer base.
Black Widow: The Savvy Business Strategist
Black Widow never fails to keep everything strictly business — never letting her feelings get too involved enough to stop progress of the team. She never makes a move without thinking of the ROI. She normally seems three (more like seven) steps ahead of everyone else, including occasionally throwing even Captain America for a loop.
Like Black Widow, your marketing team’s business strategist might come off as a little cold when push comes to shove. And you might ask yourself “why can’t we just do something because it’s cool? Why can’t the Business Strategist just take a break?” However, a smart business strategy that’s focused on ROI realizes that there’s always going to be an optimal time to leverage business success in marketing, and she knows exactly how to get you there.
Thor : The Content ‘God’
Blame it on his Norse upbringing. Blame it on the parental drama and a crazed adopted brother, but the truth remains that Thor has a flare for the dramatics. (Just look at that cape!)
Just like Thor, your Content Marketer often opts for showmanship and craftsmanship over anything else. He doesn’t always play well with the data guy and the business-minded marketer, both of whom worry about numbers above all else.
Will this lead to a showdown of epic proportions? It easily could if left unchecked.
Sometimes, content breaks all the rules of data. Things that the numbers say shouldn’t work somehow do — mostly because of the “godlike” strength of your content’s ability to relate to humans. (This is when your CDO/CMO will look for moments to play up the strengths of each.) However, those moments of collaborative overlap will do your team wonders, as data and content are two of the biggest power-hitters in your marketing strategy.
There’s also a very good chance that your content marketer will go off and do something that seems completely unrelated for a project. No, you won’t have any idea about exactly why they’re doing what they’re doing. There’s a really good chance that your Business Strategist will see it as a waste of time, and your Client-Facing personality won’t always see eye-to-eye with him. The surprising partnership though? The Big Data analyst.
When those two team up, it’s one insane adventure (even if there are fights about prioritizing data over content), and it normally winds up leaving your team significantly stronger than before.
Hawkeye: Target SEO strategist
He knows where your pain points are better than anyone, and he definitely knows how to track the best keywords for your brand to make a move.
Is he underappreciated? Definitely. Does it seem like he doesn’t get the really cool marketing ‘superpowers’? Yes. But does he always manage to hit the target audience with his skills? You bet. He represents the Voice of the Customer inside the organization. He knows how to find the best prospects because unlike other members of the team, your Hawkeye is typically the most down-to-earth.
Honorable mentions:
Black Panther : The Flexible PPC Guy
Investment is his game and no one really understands just how big his impact is until you sit down and take a look at how many conversions are being brought in through savvy Adwords usage. Just like no one in the MCU quite understands the power of Wakanda, no one else on the team *quite* understands the intricacies of what your PPC guy does. They just marvel at the success he has and let him do his thing. When given the opportunity to lay down a strategy, his methods work and work fast. Skilled, agile, and targeted — all signs that you PPC guy and the King of Wakanda might have commonalities.
Spider-Man : The New Hire
He’s that young marketing kid who just graduated college, reads waaaaay too much Gary Vee on LinkedIn, and is entirely too excited to be on your team. Things start go so south when you give him one project and he somehow kills most of your progress on accident. HOWEVER, with the right training, he can become a valuable asset as one of your team’s biggest risk takers.
Loki: Social Media Strategist
If you think you have no idea what your content marketer does sometimes, you sure as hell won’t have any idea what your social media team is doing. You just see the effects of their work.
They’re popular; they’re trendy; and they definitely keep up with the latest memes. They know what HouseParty is, and they’ve been preaching ephemeral content for years. They’re probably the first to jump into trouble, and your Content Marketer will need to keep an eye on them. It probably seems like they have no strategy and just exist to wreak havoc on your strategic marketing efforts. However, if given the opportunity, they can come in clutch with some incredibly appealing ideas — especially with bringing attention to your brand.
Double Bonus: Guardians of the Galaxy — your sales team. Don’t get us started on these guys. It would take its own post to do this comparison justice.
(Writer’s Note: This entire set up could all change on April 26, 2018 when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters.
Don’t see a super marketing position that should be on here? Don’t stress. There were a rumored 67 superheroes on set of Infinity War at any one time. Tides are changing — both in the MCU and in marketing. This just means we’ll return with a sequel.)
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Shelby Rogers serves as the Content Marketing Strategist for DigitalUs as well as Solodev, a content management system company. For more marketing insights, follow Shelby on Twitter at @shelby_rogers.
