How Chess Can Improve Your Marketing Performance?

I am someone who needs to be constantly busy; if I am not, I get bored.

Fortunately, running an agency leaves me a little time for pretty much anything else. However, I always (try to) make time for myself, whether it’s going to the gym, spending time with friends or on my other personal hobbies. One hobby that I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole is chess! 

I started it as it was always something I wanted to learn to a high standard and something I had been procrastinating about for a long time. I got into the near-limitless number of chess tutorials on YouTube. I quickly learnt to appreciate the strategies, tactics and finesse of the game.

Key skills of chess involve constantly evaluating all the pieces, identifying patterns, and thinking five steps ahead. Apparently, Worldwide Chess Grandmasters can predict 12 moves 🤯. I have come to realise these are all the necessary skills to launch effective marketing campaigns. 

When getting started, it’s essential to know your opponents, understand their experiences, and constantly adapt your ‘game’ as your understanding of the opponent improves. The theory can apply to your customer personas. And often, through articulating poor value propositions, you can stick yourself into a bad corner.

Finally, like chess, the more campaigns you run, the better you get at it.