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December 18, 2004
The map is not the terrain
"The map, the map, the map. The map is not the terrain."
So says Sam (the grizzled, hard boiled ex-CIA operative played by Robert DeNiro in the movie Ronin), as he plans an ambush on his intended target. He likes the plan but needs to go directly to the places and people before he can feel confident about it.
How true. We often stress the importance of understanding your playing field before deciding on your strategy/play or before you go ahead and execute a bunch of tactics. By this we don't mean just asking the core questions in abstract or counting on market research or studys (although of course these things can help). To really understand the terrain you have to go to it.
If trying to understand the gaps/needs of your targets/customers - be one, use your products, talk to other users, spend a day with them (not just an hour in a focus group drugging them with M&Ms). If trying to understand your competition don't just read their website and read their reports - use their products, go to their trade-show booths, interview their customers, try to think like them, maybe even hire some of them. And if trying to understand your own strengths and vulnerabilities, don't rely on yourself - go back and ask those above. It's great to map all the gaps in your playing field, but remember the map is not the terrain.
Note - DeNiro has a bunch of other great quotes in this movie, such as
- In reponse to the question "have you ever killed anyone?" he replies "I hurt someone's feelings once."
- In response to the question if he is OK pulling out a bullet from his own side, he replies "No problem, I once took out a guy's appendix with a grapefruit spoon."
Posted by johnza at December 18, 2004 08:28 PM
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Comments
The quote is originally Napoleon's. Everyone else lifted it without attribution.
Posted by: elotroyo ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://marketingplaybook.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 9, 2005 09:56 AM
whoops, links stripped:
Posted by: John Dowdell at December 20, 2004 11:02 AM
Good quote... seems descended from Korzybski's "The map is not the territory", and spun off later into "the menu is not the meal"...?
Understanding something on multiple levels is desirable, agreed.
jd/mm
Posted by: John Dowdell at December 20, 2004 11:00 AM
Interesting that marketing lessons can be drawn from a film that many derided as a marketing driven contrivance. In particular the international cast, a la Mission Impossible, was selected to fill seats world wide. Lessening the importance of box office returns in the very competetive US market.
Posted by: spiez at December 19, 2004 07:04 AM
You left the best line from the entire movie, also from DeNiro: "If there's ever any doubt - there is no doubt."
Posted by: Josh Armantrout at December 18, 2004 10:09 PM
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