Defensive Marketing*

Implementing strategies to protect from criticism rather than drive results.
In marketing, defensive practices emerge when teams prioritize documentation and consensus over effectiveness. Marketing teams might spread the budget across numerous channels to "cover all bases" rather than concentrate resources where data shows they'd perform best. This stems from the fear of missing opportunities, leadership criticism, or blame if focused strategies don't yield immediate results.

The consequences of going all in on defensive marketing include increased costs, diluted effectiveness, and worse outcomes. Fragmented budgets create activity trails but prevent sufficient investment in any initiative. When creative defaults to safe, conventional approaches, brands sacrifice distinctiveness and memorability.

Successful marketing requires calculated risk-taking and decisive resource allocation based on customer insights, not internal politics. It demands courage to concentrate efforts for maximum impact rather than self-preservation.

You can defend against defensive marketing by creating a culture that rewards thoughtful experimentation and data-driven decisions rather than perfect documentation. Emphasize learning over blame when initiatives underperform to foster innovation while reducing waste from decisions made to protect careers rather than connect with customers.

*RISK: If risks are known, good decisions require logic and statistical thinking. UNCERTAINTY: If some risks are unknown, good decisions also require intuition and smart rules of thumb. ― Gerd Gigerenzer, Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions