The no-cost way to unlock marketing momentum using your secret weapon: Marketing Operations
When I first got into marketing, I dreamed of being a superhero—launching bold, creative campaigns that cut through the noise and got people talking, clicking, signing up, and saying, “Wow, that was cool!”
Think about the Guinness Book of Records. Originally created to settle pub arguments (and get people to stay longer drinking Guinness), it turned into one of the most successful pieces of content marketing ever. While I am pretty good at consuming a Guinness, my marketing programs haven’t set any world records. I have created a few fun ones though.
For every campaign that worked I’ve had plenty that didn’t. I’ll be first to admit it; I’ve made a LOT of mistakes. There was this one time I did this direct mail campaign, which resulted in my office being filled with a hundred thousand returned postcards, but that’s a story for another day. Making those mistakes are how I’ve become the effective marketer I am today.
Here’s what many people miss: behind every great campaign is a team of superheroes quietly powering the tech and automation that make it all work. That team is Marketing Operations (MOPs). And while we were out there making mistakes, they were the ones watching—probably shaking their heads. Trust me, they’ve seen it all.
Creativity Gets the Credit. But Execution Builds the Legacy
Marketing programs often stall. Not because teams aren’t creative, but because they run out of time, budget, or clarity. Tactics get tired. The team gets stretched thin. You need fresh ideas or a new way to bring an old one to life.When that happens, here’s one of the most effective and underused strategies:
Talk to your marketing operations team.
These are the folks who have helped dozens (if not hundreds) of campaigns get off the ground. They’ve worked behind the curtain with multiple teams and personalities. They know which ideas fizzled, which ones scaled, and what almost worked—if only someone had done it just a little bit differently.
MOPs Has Seen It All. Literally.
I’ve made just about every mistake you can make in marketing. I know that execs hate to hear this, but you don’t learn what you need to know about marketing in school, you learn by doing. And along the way, there is always a marketing ops partner riding shotgun. When we failed, we both learned. And when we succeeded, we both knew exactly what made it work.
Here’s what most leaders miss: your MOPs and digital teams aren’t just implementers. They are marketing superheroes. They have secret powers that they have developed by watching what’s been tried before and they know where the villain’s lairs are hidden.
But unless you ask and insist on getting the feedback, you’ll never get them to apply their superpowers.
Ask This Today
Here’s the move: grab 20 minutes with your MOPs team. Ask them:
“What are 3 to 5 things we could do right now to drive better outcomes?”
And when they answer, don’t just nod and say thanks. Pick one and ask them to help you make it real.
That single conversation could unlock a stuck program, reveal an overlooked insight, or help you scale something you’ve been spinning your wheels on.
Stop Going It Alone
You don’t have to wait for a brainstorm or a budget cycle to inject energy into your marketing. The expertise is already in the room. The superhero who knows how to get things unstuck might not be the loudest voice in the room—but they might be the smartest.
Ask. Listen. Collaborate. Your momentum might be one conversation away. All you need to do is install a few phone booths for the costume changes.