Being Uncomfortable

Professional Advice

I notice that my opponent is always on the go
-And-
Won't go slow, so's not to focus, and I notice
He'll hitch a ride with any guide, as long as
They go fast from whence he came
- But he's no good at being uncomfortable, so
He can't stop staying exactly the same 

- Fiona Apple, "Extraordinary Machine"

This weekend, I hosted my annual fantasy football league. (Don't worry - the marketing and advertising is coming. Patience.) The league has been running for the better part of a decade. We do a modified auction, which is a single round in position, which means there's a fascinating amount of positional raises and gamesmanship. Combine this with some league quirks (bonuses for a defense that wins the game, year-long scoring instead of head to head), and you've got something with a fair amount of Nerd Appeal.

Which gets me back to the M&A portion of the program. Why haven't we made the jump to salary cap stuff, like true hardcore nerds? Why haven't we tried Individual Defensive Players? Why haven't I gone the extra mile and played in the hottest portion of the market now, which is daily fantasy leagues?

Well, I've got other commitments (lots of 'em!). I don't have time for it. I'm a grown up and all, husband, father, businessman. I just play my one league, and don't want to increase my time commitment.

But if I really want to dig into it, I don't have time for this league, either. There's multiple blogs to populate, projects to deliver, a child that's starting to look at colleges, another that deserves more attention than she gets, because, well, the first one is looking at colleges. Even my dog deserves more time (collie, needs a lot of exercise), and I've fallen behind on my fitness goals. If I want to think more about side entertainment and cash, my poker game could use more reps, and has a lot more chance of thrills and payoffs than my single entry fantasy league. And so on, and so on.

I have time for my fantasy league, because I make time for it. What I'm not making time for is Something New.

And that's a very important and difficult distinction to make for a marketing and advertising pro. We all get to the point where we need to work harder to stay in touch with our target demos, when we have to force ourselves to listen to new music, view new art, watch new cinema and shows, rather than do what's comfortable... because what's comfortable rarely gets you into a good state to sell something new, to someone new.

It's not what audiences do at certain stages of their lives, for the most part, which is the real reason why brands don't target older consumers. It's not that they don't have money, or won't try new things. It's that trying new things is hard, and doing hard things isn't a choice we want to make when we get older. For younger consumers, FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is much more than the fear of making a mistake.

How do you overcome this? Well, it's a personal question and answer, but for me, it's a discipline issue. I'm not likely to become a world-class athlete, but I still go to the gym. I'm not likely to make it to the final day of a huge multi-day poker tournament, but I enjoy the game, so I'm still going to work on my reads, and try to make things difficult on my opponents. I'm not likely to become a scratch golfer, but I want to be better, so I'll keep playing. Making time for family works better when you have other things beyond them, and can truly value the time, rather than make it feel like an obligation.

As for making sure you stay attuned to new trends and developments in the field... well, that's just being a professional. And being a professional is all about going beyond the comfortable, and always learning something new.

Which means that the real reason why I like my fantasy league just the way it is, and don't want any changes? Because it's actually a leisure activity. No matter how much it might seem otherwise.

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