This four-part series introduces a framework for describing the roles and responsibilities of marketing operations leaders. This section discusses the roles of MOps leaders as psychologists, as well as their roles as modernizers (see Part 1) and facilitators (see Part 2).
During my early education journey, I had limited exposure to marketing. With a solid math/science background, I took the “easy” path and majored in engineering. I struggled in advanced engineering courses, but excelled in electives – communication, business, organizational behavior – a hallmark of my future in marketing.
Due to my engineering background, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to join GE Healthcare through its entry-level leadership development program. There, I underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
MRI has become the diagnostic device of choice, followed by neuroscience. Their eventual application in fMRI fascinated me: functional MRI. These extensions help us understand the most important medical mystery: how (and why) people do what they do.
fMRI uses the same underlying technology as conventional MRI, but a scanner and medical contrast agent are used to detect increased blood flow in response to stimuli commonly referred to as “hot spots.”
fMRI reveals which processes in the brain “light up” when a person experiences different sensations, such as exposure to different images in common studies. As a result, we now know which parts of the brain are involved in decision-making.
Successful marketing “lights up” the customer’s brain
Traditional marketing campaigns and metrics are important in understanding what people choose to buy The hows and whys left a gap. We rely on aggregated data.
Through digital channels, we can first-hand understand how individuals respond to stimuli (i.e. content). This is where the comparison comes in:
We can almost observe to anything a customer or prospect does digitally.
As marketers, our goal is to make our Customers and prospects feel delighted or satisfied with every interaction. And, we now have the technology to track it. We’re effectively reading the mind — as if it were an fMRI scan.
Here is an overview of the three main psychological “strategies” every marketer should know:
start up is an attempt to trigger subconscious responses to stimuli that influence our conscious decisions. The most common applications are Sponsored Brands and First Click Impressions. Using an aspiring product or service image in the content is a common method of initiation if customers continue their journey. Social proof is perhaps the most common example, considering the impact of word of mouth. It’s common in product reviews and ratings. Content marketing often relies on case studies and customer testimonials to hear from “people like us.” 
Anchoring refers to the role of marketing in pricing and discounting. Most decisions people make are tied to them The initial set of information received is related.
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MOps leaders manage mind-reading stacks
MOps leaders are modernizers who now manage mind-reading marketing technology stacks. We then lead the coordination effort to analyze the response (“scan” the data) and “prescribe” the next steps for the campaign.
Two catalysts led to the emergence of martech applications:
New channels to deliver stimuli (content) and gather responses: search, social media, retail commerce channels, etc.
Tools to organize and manage all response data, from the foundational CRM platform for marketing analytics and data enrichment.
These developments lead to new mental skills, which Critical to the role of the MOps leader.
Processing and interpretation of intent data is an example. ZoomInfo explains how B2B marketers can access this feature. In addition to basic contact information, which is the origin of its business, the company now provides buying signals to marketers based on customer behavior.
Intent data has been widely used. Six in 10 companies responding to a recent survey said they have implemented or plan to implement an intent measurement data solution within the next year.
The main challenges to effectively utilize intent data are fully aligned with the MOps leader’s role/responsibility include:
These trends support the conclusions of the first three parts of this series— —MOps leaders should pursue:
Next time, I will finish the framework and discuss how to MOps The role of a leader includes being a scientist, constantly testing and evaluating marketing efforts with a team of analytics experts and data scientists.
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a 4-part series 3 parts. In case you missed it, Part 1 (Modernizer) is here and Part 2 (Coordinator) is here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest authors and not necessarily those of MarTech. The authors of the staff are listed here.
About the author
Milt’s current Account Director at MSI Data Experience, an industry-leading cloud software company focused on the value and productivity that customers can bring through adopting MSI’s service management solutions. With nearly 30 years of leadership experience, Milt focuses on aligning service, marketing, sales and IT processes around the customer journey. Milt began his career at GE and led cross-functional initiatives in field service, software deployment, marketing and digital transformation. After working at GE, Milt led marketing operations at Connecture and HSA Bank, and has always enjoyed being labeled an early digital marketing technologist. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. In addition to his corporate leadership roles, Milt is focused on giving back to the marketing and regional communities in which he lives. He serves on multiple boards and is an adjunct instructor at the UW-Madison Digital Marketing Bootcamp. He also supports strategic clients through his team of consultants, Mission MarTech LLC.
About the author
Milt’s current Account Director at MSI Data Experience, an industry-leading cloud software company focused on the value and productivity that customers can bring through adopting MSI’s service management solutions. With nearly 30 years of leadership experience, Milt focuses on aligning service, marketing, sales and IT processes around the customer journey. Milt began his career at GE and led cross-functional initiatives in field service, software deployment, marketing and digital transformation. After working at GE, Milt led marketing operations at Connecture and HSA Bank, and has always enjoyed being labeled an early digital marketing technologist. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management. In addition to his corporate leadership roles, Milt is focused on giving back to the marketing and regional communities in which he lives. He serves on multiple boards and is an adjunct instructor at the UW-Madison Digital Marketing Bootcamp. He also supports strategic clients through his team of consultants, Mission MarTech LLC.
