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I was recently going back through some of my favorite episodes of Planet Earth. if you haven’t seen it, it’s an incredibly series about all the different ecosystems and forms of life on our plant. Its incredible information is only outdone by the fantastic cinematography used to create it. All of this got me thinking…
The marketing industry is one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet. It’s fragile in the sense that even the smallest catalyst can cause a major change for everything and everyone inside of the system.
When you look at other industries you’ll see more resistance to most small disruptions. The structure of the environment has been reinforced over time. If you compare some of them to an actual ecosystem you can think about the Redwood Forest on the west coast of the United States. The monstrous trees hold everything together and protect its inhabitants from many of the elements.
The wildlife tends to be fairly consistent as do their habits. They found a way to live and it hasn’t stopped working. This gives them no reason to be more flexible if something were to change, they would just wait it out till things are back to normal. (Sound like any businesses you know.)
When you take a look at industries like marketing, it, communications, or even startups as a whole, you’ll see something completely different. It’s much more like a tide-pool. Every day the environment depends on what washes in.
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The locations, the creatures in it, and, most importantly, the dynamics between them. The “big fish” one day might be lunch for someone else the next. Creatures that don’t normally interact may be forced to find a way to work together in the new and temporary environment. If this doesn’t sound like the wide world of marketing to you, check your pulse (literally and figuratively).
So,who has the upper hand? No one. It’s a big world out there and the concept of an ecosystem is that it’s a world of its own. Some of them are disrupted on a frequent basis and some of them are timeless. What we do know is that the environments prone to disruption force all of the life within to adapt quickly.
There is where most of us find ourselves today. And we can learn a few lessons from the things that have been living this way since the beginning.
1. Be Observant and Patient – Pay attention to all of the threats and opportunities around you. When considering your market (food source) make sure to see who your competition is and what kind of a threat they pose. Showing your face in the open for a poorly chosen market might just be what makes you someone else’s lunch.
2. Understand Where You Sit On The Food Chain – Keep in mind that where you sit in the metaphorical circle of life has little to do with your potential success. Great White Sharks have different problems than a shrimp or a crab but, rest assured, they do have problems. Knowing where you’re at helps you identify the best opportunities. Again, you don’t want to be competing in a market where you could be swallowed whole.
3. Be Adaptable – Just because you have a primary market doesn’t mean you need to exclude yourself from others. What does any animal do if they can’t find their favorite food? They find something else. Understand that markets are likely to change just as often as any industry. Finding different opportunities may be just what you need to take the next step in evolution or to move up the food chain.
Food For Thought: It wouldn’t hurt to develop some kind of defense mechanism. Whether it’s covering yourself in poisonous barbs or being able to blend in to your surroundings, it tends to pay off in nature. Defense mechanisms in business can be anything from incredible customer service to an irreplaceable brand. Something that makes you more resistant to new predators in the same market.
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