Christian Toucey is a proud United States Marine and a recent graduate in business management with a minor in marketing from Saint Leo University in 2021. Currently, Christian is pursuing his master’s degree in management. In the following article, Christian Toucey discusses how in the intricate world of business, precision is often the key to success, a principle deeply ingrained in individuals with a military background. Below, Christian Toucey delves into the unique perspective and skill set that parallels between military precision and the art of strategic marketing.
At first glance, marketing and the military seem to have nothing in common. After all, one involves attracting and converting audiences, while the other protects the entire nation. But there are more parallels than initially meets the eye.
Jordan Mullen once made the bold (hyperbolic) statement, "
Marketing is war." And while that distillation of warfare shouldn't be taken literally, Mullen isn't the first to identify crossovers between the two — and for good reason. Marketing is innately combative and competitive. So much so that to overlook such elements would be deemed "surrendering." As such, many professionals cite the similarities.
From this perspective, it's clear to see why warfare is a common analogy for marketing; it aligns business thinking with the idea of overcoming competitors, seeing them as out maneuverable enemies. And US marines are perhaps the most well-equipped to bring this mindset, which is used by corporate leaders, to the marketing forecourt, sky-rocketing firms to the dizzying heights of success.
Christian Toucey – From Marine to Marketer: A Powerful (and Lucrative) Career Transition
A common phrase in the forces that protect the country is, "Military theory is only as good as its execution." This in itself can be likened to marketing strategies — having the strategy is one thing, but executing and following through are the only ways to ensure success.
Christian Toucey says that despite being vastly different worlds, both generally fail due to lack of complete execution rather than bad strategy. Like a Marine leader continually studies their strategy to adapt to the current situation, marketing professionals must constantly review their plans to ensure they're having the desired effect.
Even specific systems utilized in the military can be beneficial in the marketing field.
CARVER, an acronym used to consider the greatest opportunities for action that use the fewest available resources, is by far the most notable.
Christian Toucey explains that the mnemonic stands for:
- Criticality
- Accessibility
- Recuperability
- Vulnerability
- Effect
- Recognizability
Marketers can apply CARVER to their work to establish which digital marketing techniques would work perfectly to target the ideal audience within the proposed budget. While it isn't necessarily an exact crossover, the methodology helps the entire marketing cycle — all the way from budgeting to optimization.
Military literature, alongside the characteristics that many of those serving possess, have been used by marketing theorists to dictate how modern marketing should be performed. Why? Christian Toucey says it’s because the business world and military ways have too many parallels to ignore.
Majoring in Business and Minoring in Marketing Proves to Be the Perfect Combination
Granted, transitioning from the United States Marines to a marketing firm is by no means a straight road; former military members will likely face trials and tribulations on the way as they deal with the change of pace. However, majoring in business and minoring in marketing might be the combination that makes the professional adaptation much smoother.
Christian Toucey explains that while many may consider majoring in marketing the way to go, it's well-documented that taking the minor approach to the subject is perhaps the greater method. After all, any business wanting to be successful demands effective marketing.
Business majors are tasked with the grueling duty of:
- Developing and growing client bases
- Promoting products and services
- Building distribution efficiencies
- Investing in innovative product development
- Understanding how to conduct market research
Minoring in marketing offers a head start in all these areas. Those who take this route will gain a distinct competitive advantage over the peers, making themselves more attractive to employers later on as a result.
Plus, marketing minors learn both traditional and digital-age techniques, giving them near endless career opportunities down the road.
Giving Business Marketing the Military Mindset it Requires
Christian Toucey highlights the team approach. Fatiguing competition. Confidence. Energy. Discipline. Precision. Marketing professionals rely on these characteristics to spur businesses into the limelight and come out on top. And former US Marines are better equipped than most to bring these qualities to the role, having developed the traits during their time in the military.
To ensure they put their best foot forward in the civilian working world, former Marines should turn to a business major and marketing minor. Gaining an understanding in their chosen field alongside the crossover qualities from the military will give them a new lucrative, fast-paced career to look forward to.
