P.C.M. Should you bother becoming certified? I’m game for discussion by Tony Green

Miller Lite Logo

I was reading some postings and discussions on the merit of becoming a Professional Certified Marketer. I wrote a number of these entries myself.  Some state the certification being a worthwhile investment of time. Others find it silly to be certified as a marketer by passing a multiple choice test. Regardless of your standing on the topic the question always generates a response.

I remember as child growing up watching Miller Lite commercials on television. One version of these used retired football and baseball stars to argue in a 45 second spot over whether Miller Lite should be purchased and consumed because Lite had less filling or superior flavor.

If you wondering what this has to do with being a marketer the point of this commercial is while you and your drinking buddies were argued over the merits of Miller Lite you were focused on Miller and not any of the beers its competitors offered. Who cared which side you were on as long you went to your alcohol supplier and bought a 12-pack to sample so you could make the call for yourself?

Similarly with the P.C.M. question debate does make for thought provoking postings in the blogosphere.

What is the harm of talking? I thought marketers had the job of engaging discussion among its prospects and customers.  An interesting quote by Tom Hespos of Underscore Marketing comes to mind which states,”… What they don’t realize is that for communication to have credibility…, it needs to be a two-way dialogue between human beings, not a one-way message from a marketing department to a “target audience.” I think I my thinking should be finished for now, and a cold beer would be excellent at this point.

In the words of the commercial, “Tastes great, less filling”. Earning your PCM certification or not. I would think the reader would not decide on the basis of my blog posting. Maybe the marketing knowledge I learned studying for my P.C.M. exam was of some use.  Does this allow me to call myself a marketer? That is the topic for another blog entry, which I hope would lead to further dialogue. Conversation in the long term cannot be a bad thing for the marketing profession.