MarTech theory

Dr Brian Kavanagh, convenor of the DAM MA at King's College London, says that theory grounded in practice is very important in the understanding of a field. He's right. I think it's taken me time to appreciate how right he is. Just a couple of years ago I was more ambivalent than I am now. But there's a catch. Where are the MarTech theorists?

There are many realists in the DAM and MarTech world. You can find them on webinars and at events. They have their own consultancies. So we're well-stocked with the Steve Eismans of MarTech. But where are the Carl Jungs of MarTech? Why don't they have a voice on a par with the reslists, assuming they exist?

As I once said at King's when I came back to be on a panel: all the cool work in DAM is being done in the field not in the lab like physics. Corporates are more likely to be capable of acquiring powerful or flexible systems capable of doing exciting things. Corporations pay better which is of increasing value given inflation. Would you turn down being paid twice as much?

So, what is the business model that would enable people capable of doing great theoretical work in MarTech to do that work while still providing for themselves and their families? And don't say Patreon. Even some of the most successful Patreons merely match average DAM or MarTech salaries.

How many radical ideas are being left on the table because we leave no choice to people but to go into corporates?