April 10, 2019

Don’t Trust Your Gut

by Renegade

A tip of the hat goes to Deloitte this week for reminding us not to trust our gut…

Probably as a result of a re-targeting campaign, I came across an ad from Deloitte introducing a character called “Gut Instinct.” He is the personification of that oft-unreliable feeling we’ve all used at one time or another.

“Gut Instinct”

Through a series of comical setups, we realize that Gut Instinct is not all he’s cracked up to be. Sure, he’s had a few wins over the years but his schtick seems a bit long in the tooth now—in the era of data-based marketing and measurement.

The value of devaluing gut instinct as a business strategy is a good one for Deloitte. Its positioning is clear: “We use data and professional acumen, not instinct, to achieve your business goals.”

However, I include this example of creative B2B marketing not simply as a means to laud Deloitte. The universal message is this: although there is still a small place at the table for gut instinct, marketing executives should never be afraid to “call in the experts” whenever they feel that their gut instinct just isn’t cutting it anymore.