What Marketing & 5 Monkeys Have in Common

What does a career in marketing have to do with five monkeys? Clue: It ain’t working for bananas. The reality is much more subtle, but it requires an understanding of the infamous “Five Monkey” experiment.

For those not familiar with the Five Monkey experiment, it goes like this:

• Five monkeys are grouped together in a large cage, where at the top hangs a bunch of bananas. The only way for any of the monkeys to get the bananas is to climb upon a ladder that is situated in the cage.

• At the moment the first monkey begins the climb the ladder, the experimenter, armed with a fire-hose, sprays ice cold water at the monkey climbing the ladder and then drenches the rest.

• Eventually, another monkey gains courage to climb the ladder, and the experimenter returns the action by soaking the climbing monkey, as well as the rest of them.

• By the time the third monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys fearing another freezing shower, pull the third monkey down and beat him up.

Now, here is where the experiment gets interesting:

• One of the original five monkeys is removed and replaced by a new monkey who soon spots the bananas above the ladder.

• However, before the new monkey can take a step up, the rest of the monkeys pull him down and beat him senseless.

• A week goes by, and another of the original monkeys is removed and replaced by a new monkey, who like his predecessor, sees the bananas above the ladder and begins to make his move. But, before he can climb up, the remaining monkeys, including the one from the week before and that had never been sprayed with cold water, pummels the monkey.

• This pattern of monkey replacement and beatings continues until the cage is full of five new monkeys that have never been sprayed, and yet they will fiercely fight each other so that none climb the ladder to reach the bananas.

Which brings up the point about working in marketing. Processes are set in place, and over time things change, people move on, new people come in and the art of questioning WHY gets the cold-water treatment.  This happens for reasons no one can quite explain, or when they do, it falls flat on the “well, that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

To avoid this trap, marketing professionals should:

• Regularly climb their figurative ladders and challenge the status quo. Ask “why” and review policies.

• Communicate with cross-team members to ensure everyone understands why things are done, not just how things are done.

• Finally, help other monkeys (ahem... co-workers and management), resist the urge to beat down challenges to established ideas. New ideas should be assessed on their own merits based on current circumstances and market conditions.

Working in marketing has its challenges, but when an environment resembles the Five Monkey Experiment, frustration and skilled employee rotation is bound to result.

Understanding the principles of what creates a five-monkey environment is critical, as well as having the insight to openly support questioning and challenging outdated models that keep the fruits of our endeavors just out of reach.