Two of my college roommates were education majors. I vividly remember their student teaching days when after a tough day at school, they needed extra inspiration. Our entire apartment quickly became familiar with Taylor Mali’s “What Teachers Make.”
If you don’t have time to watch the full video below (and I highly recommend you find the 3 minutes, 3 seconds in your day), here’s the jist. When asked at a dinner party what teachers make, his answer isn’t a salary. Mali highlights how teachers have the power to make kids work harder than they thought they could; make children wonder, question, and criticize; and make a difference.
My colleague Cait Douglas’ recent New Year’s Resolution for Social Marketing post challenges us to better define and own our profession. In light of this, perhaps instead of telling your roommate or family member about the media plan or partnership outreach that defines our day-to-day, you can instead tell them what social marketers make – not a paycheck, but a difference.
The answer to “what do social marketers make?” depends on the day for me, but here are a few highlights from my Ogilvy social marketing colleagues highlighted in this blog over the past few months:
- Inspire Americans to get out and vote. -Chris Beakey
- Use humor to take on critical issues – like disaster preparedness – and still be effective. -Carrie Dooher
- Create a culture of strong, smart young women nationwide. -Pamela Long
- Improve communications between patients and health care providers. -Ashley Wolos
In your eyes, what do social marketers make? A paycheck? Or something more, like Taylor Mali found? Share your thoughts in the comments section below this post.