One of the best things about living in Manhattan is that pedestrians rule. Well, except when you are the driver. While I walk just about everywhere, I seem to forget this once I am behind the wheel....


On an average day, I am the pedestrian, cursing the drivers that prematurely roll forward into the crosswalk, anxiously waiting for the light to turn green. How dare they?
Behind the wheel, I am transformed into a driver, cursing the pedestrians that scurry across my path right before the light is about to turn green. How dare they?
While only some consumers are marketers, every marketer is a consumer. We must never forget that we live, eat and breathe the same brand experiences as the rest of the world. Sure, we might consider ourselves above the pedestrian consumer, yet at some time or another we all will find ourselves in the cereal aisle contemplating a new product.
In my love-hate relationship with the industry, I often wonder how much better our marketing might be if we stopped and considered the experience of those on the other side. Hate junk mail? Pedantic messaging? Poor execution? Use your position as a marketer, and experience as a consumer, to effect change.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

www.saraholoubek.com
Sara Holoubek is a free agent consultant, advising growth firms and investors in the interactive technology and advertising sector. Ms. Holoubek is also the contributing editor of the DM News' SearchBuzz newsletter, and a regular author of the DM News Optimized column.

In 2008 Ms. Holoubek was elected to the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization (SEMPO) board of directors for a third term. During this time she also co-founded the SEMPO NY Working Group.

From 2003-2005, Ms. Holoubek served as iCrossing's Chief Strategy Officer, building the firm's New York office and repositioning the iCrossing brand as it raised an early VC round of $13 million. Prior to this experience, Ms. Holoubek held posts in client strategy with interactive agencies Organic and Blue Dingo. Her vertical expertise covers over 10 sectors and includes work with Levi Strauss & Co, Bloomingdales, LexisNexis, Texas Instruments, Colgate-Palmolive, Century 21 Real Estate, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, as well as firms within the WPP family and the Aegis Group family.

Ms. Holoubek has contributed to and/or been quoted in publications such as Adweek, DM News, Mediapost's Search Insider, WSJ.com, The Madison Avenue Journal, ClickZ and Internet Retailer. She also serves as a frequent guest lecturer at venues such as SMX, Search Engine Strategies, OMMA, the DMA, Harvard, NYU and Baruch College.

Ms. Holoubek also brings an international perspective to her work, having lived and worked in Latin America and Europe , and is fluent in Spanish and French and conversant in Portuguese. She holds a B.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.B.A. from HEC in France. She resides in New York City with her husband, baritone Claudio Mascarenhas.