Marketing Places, Spaces, People & Ideas

Passion-driven Marketing Opinions

September 9th, 2009 by Mandy Vavrinak

A true expert is also an evangelist, as they would not have been able to achieve such expertise if they did not have a passion for the field. (from @davidspinks, comments on his post)

We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be. – Ruth Barton

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I think we set young marketers up to fail if we encourage them to embark on broad campaigns or thought leadership before they consider what kind of marketing they ought to be doing and whether they have a true passion for it. Passion drives the desire to learn, to be excellent and to grow in a field. Becoming an expert at anything is predicated on these things. Passion also means viewpoints will be strongly held, opinions may be forcefully expressed… witness the recent exchange between @bethharte and @amandachapel.
I’m not taking on the subtleties of their arguments (not today, anyway…!) but I do want to say that companies are better served working with someone passionate about the field. Find a good fit, because it’s like a marriage, but appreciate the creative fire that a passion-driven professional will bring to a project.
I love what I do… can’t imagine doing anything else. I did it before social media took off; I’ll be doing it after it morphs into a mature technology and the next big thing comes along. I do it because I love creating connections between people and the other people, ideas, places, spaces and things they need to know about. The title of this blog wasn’t a random thought. It’s what drives me professionally.
What drives you? Are you passionate about what you do? Do you think passion is required to earn expert status?