Playing the Pinball Machine: What You Control vs. What You Do Not
In marketing, the most frustrating truth can also be the most liberating one: you do not control the customer journey. That is why I frame today’s reality as The Marketing Pinball Machine™. To play it well, you need to know what is in your control, and what is not.
Let’s take a look at how our metaphor plays out.
Flippers: The Levers You Control
These are your tools. Content, customer experience, tone of voice, packaging, and seamless channel handoffs are flippers you activate intentionally. They may not guarantee a win, but they are where your timing, skill, and strategy matter most. Without these, you are nowhere - do not spend one dime on marketing until these levers are in place.
Bumpers: Guardrails You Set
Every brand, like every person, needs boundaries. Consistency, authenticity, and values form the bumpers that keep the ball in play. As we know, they are not about control, they are about containment, ensuring the customer’s experience never veers too far off course.
Tilt: When You Push Too Hard
The temptation is real, but tilt the machine too far, and you shut the whole play down. Customers still crave humanity - the wink, the empathy, the unexpected spark. Ignore that, and risk the whole game shutting down.
The components look very different depending on your category. Think of it as different machine settings - some games are fast-paced and instinctive, while others require patience and precision. In impulse-driven spaces, speed and excitement dominate; credibility may come after the purchase. In research-driven categories, credibility is the entry ticket. Reviews, real-world validation, and trusted voices shape whether the ball even makes it onto the board.
Later, we’ll dig more into credibility as it relates to this idea.
Jackpot: What Happens When It All Works
The jackpot is not just one transaction. It is conversion, loyalty, and referral — the rare sequence where credibility meets desire and the customer feels validated in their choice and motivated to become part of your success story for the long-term.
So if we master the flippers, define the bumpers, avoid the tilt, and remember that the jackpot is always earned, never programmed, we have the roadmap to the high score on our Marketing Pinball Machine™!
