The Programmer VS The Marketer

If you are like me, you may be feeling in the middle of two separate worlds. On one side, the marketer, more creative and directed at people; on the other, the programmer, more logical and directed at computers. You love and feel the pull of both and you have an intuition that using them in tandem may bring unexpected results.

You are not the pure “marketer type”, immersed in making creatives and studying buyer personas, nor the “hardocre programmer”, that codes drivers in rust on the daily. You have knowledge of both, always looking for ways to leverage both and making them work together.

You are at times misunderstood, many people don’t know how to name or place this hybrid figure yet. Recently the role of “Marketing Automation Specialist” has emerged, but I don’t think that it fully covers this new niche, “marketing automation” mostly revolves around managing hubspot and salesforce software, installing tag managers and and analytics.

A new figure is needed, call it the "Marketer++", I’m still not convinced about the name, it’s a play on the programming language C++ (Many people would not be happy about it haha). But it’s a temporary name, if you have a better one, feel free to reach out.

This new professional would exist in the intersection of marketing and programming. The Marketer++ is proficient in technology, savvy in marketing, innovative, data-driven, adaptable, and can bridge the gap between the marketing and tech teams in a company.

The Clash of Two Worlds

These two different figures have been coming closer to each other for quite some time now.

Just a few decades ago companies would build products and then try to look for an agency to create billboards and advertise the product. The process was highly separated both for practical and cultural reasons.

With the emergence of the digital age, this clear cut separation has faded away.

Marketers now have to understand and work with different platforms and delivery methods, meanwhile the programmer’s code is no longer just about efficiency (some may argue that it never was). It now plays a central role in the user experience, engagement and brand perception.

The Emergence of a New Figure

The "Marketer++" doesn't see marketing and programming as opposing forces but as complementary tools. They understand that a well-crafted narrative is as important as well-written code. They know that an engaging user interface can enhance a marketing campaign, and a well-targeted campaign can drive users to a product.

The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Becoming a "Marketer++" is very challenging. It requires a passion for many different topics, willingness to always learn and stay up to tech trends like a programmer would. A clear path and tool set is not yet fully clear, but I guess that just happens for any emergent field. It requires a balance between creativity and logic, intuition and analysis, big-picture thinking and attention to detail.

Even with the challenges the "Marketer++" is well positioned for the future. This figure is going to be able to easily evolve in the current market, there is no GPT or diffusion model that could easily automate it (actually quite the opposite).

This figure would be capable of making informed market decisions, automating tasks to increase productivity, and using the programming skills to help develop or even develop by themselves internal tools or MVPs.

The "Marketer++" is more than just a new job title. It's a new way of thinking, a new approach to problem-solving, and a new kind of innovator. It's a role that's well suited for the digital age, and it's a role that could define the future of marketing.