NBA star basketball player LeBron James famously declared, “I’m not a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, or power forward. I’m a basketball player.” This sentiment reflects a trend towards versatility in a sport. These are position-less players.
Position-less was displayed by Jauan Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl. Jennings threw a touchdown pass and caught one himself.
Coaches like Erik Spoelstra of the NBA’s Miami Heat embrace this shift, enabling teams to adapt to different opponents and play styles.
Other professionals possess abilities that transcend traditional roles, like utility infielder, Javier Báez in baseball; and players like James Milner in European football (soccer) demonstrate versatility across positions.
Beyond sports, multi-instrumental musicians like Prince exemplify adaptability, easily mastering multiple instruments. In business, one could argue that an entrepreneur is position-less. He or she needs to juggle multiple roles out of necessity.
These are elite performers — superhumans — resemble bionic individuals capable of excelling in diverse roles with exceptional skill and adaptability.”
Defining the position-less marketerThe position-less marketer, akin to versatile players in sports or music, excels in reshaping traditional marketing roles to drive business outcomes in the digital realm. This dynamic approach emphasizes adaptability and collaboration, fostering agility in marketing strategies.
However, being a position-less marketer requires a diverse skill set. Can one person effectively handle writing, data analysis, project management, research, campaign orchestration and various marketing activities, such as social media and email campaigns, alongside visual marketing and website management?
While each marketer may have a dominant skill, adapting to multiple roles is essential in today’s marketing landscape. With advanced tools and evolving strategies, mastering diverse skills is increasingly feasible.
In traditional marketing, individuals often specialize in specific roles, leading to siloed functions such as brand management, content creation, and digital marketing. However, the modern digital landscape has birthed the position-less marketer, characterized by:
Think back to three years ago, before generative AI like ChatGPT. If you were not adept at copywriting, perhaps — even for simple copy — you asked a skilled professional. But now, you may do it yourself using AI. Does this make you position-less? The answer is yes in select circumstances.
This article opened with the example of a running back throwing a TD pass. But that running back, Jennings, certainly does not throw every pass. The bulk of that work is left to the quarterback.
The emergence of position-less marketing is made possible by several key factors:
Embracing the principles of position-less play in marketing strategies enables companies to outpace competition, engage with audiences more effectively and achieve better business outcomes in the dynamic digital landscape.
The integration of advanced technology, agile methodologies, and consumer-centric approaches allows marketers to transcend traditional job roles, embracing a position-less approach where skills and expertise take precedence over titles and hierarchies.
By adopting this approach, companies minimize information loss typically associated with rigid departmental (assembly line) structures. Instead, each team operates under a unified pod, reducing mistakes and accelerating execution. This agile structure, reminiscent of start-up environments, eliminates redundancy and waste, facilitating faster decision-making and adaptation to market changes.
The Divide: Position-less (new, AI-based) vs. Rule-Based Marketers (Legacy) depicts a hypothetical split in the marketing industry between two contrasting ideologies:
The potential consequences of this split include the following:
Ultimately, this division underscores the ongoing tension between tradition and innovation in marketing, with profound implications for those embracing a position-less mindset versus adhering to legacy approaches.
Be position-less, but not too position-less — Realize your multipotentialityThere is an iconic Ted Talk by Emilie Wapnick on multipotentiality. Multipotentiality is having many exceptional talents, any one or more of which could make for a great career for that person. Her talk focuses on the question every person hears, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
For most of us, the answer starts with daydreams of an astronaut or doctor. (I am sure no one said a marketer). But as we get older and face high school, then college, it causes anxiety. Many of us think we have to find that one thing. Finding just one thing is no longer true in marketing because you can be empowered to do it all.
That said, I advise that you don’t do it all. Rather, be like Jennings, occasionally throwing the TD pass or Prince playing the drums. Step in when it is best for the organization. So be position-less, but not too position-less.
I believe that if marketers find how to optimize being position-less, they will secure their position on the marketing team for as long as they want.
Pini Yakuel, co-founder and CEO of Optimove, wrote this article