Quote: Original post by Adraeus

Quote: Original post by Obscure

Quote: Original post by Adraeus
The more important your job appears, the more important others perceive you.

I am afraid I strongly disagree. It might be true in banking but this is a creative business. Business cards impress only those who are easily impressed. To everyone else they are just contact details (unless they are Japanese). It is what the person says that will impress (or not).

I disagree, however, I don't want to appear negative in the light of our disagreement; therefore, I will send to you (when finalized) an outline of a speech, which I gave to an undergraduate marketing class last year, concerning the fundamentals of strategic branding.

Quote: If you are the lead programmer then have that on your card. ... If you are the only programmer then who are you managing?

Who can a sole lead programmer manage? Programming services vendors, freelance programmers, the programming project, etc. The management of IRS-classified employees is not a requirement of the role of manager. There are more manageable assets than just human capital.

I think the core problem with your reason for disagreeing is:

You are a marketing guy(?) and Obscure is a hands on creative professional. Your better off agreeing to disagree, neither of you will be able to convince the other that the are in error.

Imho, Obscure's solution works usually since we are mainly dealing with various educated adults who are the least effective targets to market anything to since they are better able to discern marketing/BS from facts. But that is no reason to ignore those people who give weight to marketing/bs in their final analysis.

Quote: Original post by Adraeus
I disagree, however, I don't want to appear negative in the light of our disagreement; therefore, I will send to you (when finalized) an outline of a speech, which I gave to an undergraduate marketing class last year, concerning the fundamentals of strategic branding.

I tell my clients at great length how important marketing is - provided its honest. A lead programmer whose business card says "President" may technically be the President but that isn't what they actually do all day and that is apparant to anyone in the industry with a clue. When the company gets to the size that it needs a President then by all means have one.

Quote: If you are the lead programmer then have that on your card. ... If you are the only programmer then who are you managing?

Who can a sole lead programmer manage? Programming services vendors, freelance programmers, the programming project, etc. The management of IRS-classified employees is not a requirement of the role of manager. There are more manageable assets than just human capital.
My example was a lead-programmer - the only programmer. So none of those other people exist. If they did and there was enough work to keep someone busy then you would have a producer managing them - but that person should still have Producer on his card rather than President, which is the point I am making.

Quote: Original post by KGodwin
You are a marketing guy(?) and Obscure is a hands on creative professional. Your better off agreeing to disagree, neither of you will be able to convince the other that the are in error.

What do you know about me? What do you actually know about marketing and branding? I resent the implication that marketing is neither creative nor practiced by professionals.

Quote: Obscure's solution works usually since we are mainly dealing with various educated adults who are the least effective targets to market anything to since they are better able to discern marketing/BS from facts. But that is no reason to ignore those people who give weight to marketing/bs in their final analysis.

1. Marketing is not equivalent to bullshit.
2. Job titles and business cards are marketing communications devices. These are only two components of a corporate identity system used to influence others to perceive you, the company you represent, or the product you're selling, as important and, therefore, influence perceivers to buy-in. These are not panacea, however; marketing communications is only effective when properly applied.