Be Curious, Not Judgmental

What’s the most powerful tool a marketer can have? Curiosity.

In business—especially in marketing—we make countless decisions every day. Which campaign should we launch? What message will resonate with our audience? What are our competitors doing? And in these moments, we have two choices: judge or be curious.

Too often, we fall into mental traps: “This won’t work.”, “Our customers won’t buy that.”, “Our competitors are making a mistake.” But these judgments block learning opportunities. Curiosity, on the other hand, opens doors to innovation and success.

Don’t Hate Your Competitors, Be Curious About Them

When a competitor launches a new campaign, what’s your first reaction?

Do you think, “They won’t do it as well as we would” or “This won’t work”?

Or do you ask, “Why are they taking this approach?”, “Who are they targeting?”, “What can we learn from this?”

A curious marketer analyzes, extracts insights, and uses that knowledge to refine their own strategy. A judgmental marketer simply dismisses competitors and misses valuable market shifts.

Understand Your Customers Without Bias

“Our customers wouldn’t buy this.” Would they really? How do you know?

Consumer behavior is constantly evolving. People who once only shopped in stores now buy directly from Instagram ads. Products that were unpopular a few years ago are now trending. If we judge our customers too quickly, we’ll miss these shifts. But if we stay curious, we can uncover what they truly want.

Next time you’re building a campaign, don’t rely on gut instincts or assumptions. Instead, ask: “Why are our customers behaving this way?”, “What opportunity does this shift present?”

Judgment Kills Creativity in Marketing

One of the biggest mistakes in brainstorming sessions? Shutting down ideas too soon.

When someone suggests an unconventional idea, don’t immediately say “That won’t work.” Instead, ask “How can we make this work?” A curious team refines bold ideas into game-changing campaigns.

Many of today’s most successful companies—Google, Netflix, Airbnb—were built on ideas that initially sounded crazy. If their founders had dismissed them too soon, they wouldn’t exist today.

How Should a Marketer Think?

• Don’t resent competitors—analyze them.

• Don’t underestimate customers—understand them.

• Don’t resist trends—explore them.

• Don’t reject new ideas—develop them.

So next time you’re making a business decision, don’t start with “This won’t work.” Instead, ask:

“Why is this happening?”

“How can we improve this?”

“What can we learn from this?”

Because in marketing, the winners aren’t the ones who judge, but the ones who stay curious.

See you next Monday for another edition of Monday Readings.