The similarities are substantial
I’ve been a marketer and a tennis player for decades, and it turns out that Marketing and Tennis have more in common than you might think. For me, Marketing is first and foremost, a pursuit of excellence, and a journey to test, learn and improve that never ends. The same is true with Tennis – there’s always something new to learn, some aspect of your game to improve, and something to just keep doing well. Both can be lifelong pursuits, filled with successes and setbacks, thrills and utter despair. Here are some of the key similarities:
🎨Adaptability – You need to adjust your tactics based on real-time and situational feedback
🎯Strategy is Key – In marketing and tennis, success requires a well-thought-out strategy
🔄Consistency Wins – Unforced errors and inconsistent execution lead to underperformance
💡Knowing Your Opponent – Success in marketing and business depends on understanding your opponent
🚀Risk vs. Reward – In tennis, you have to take some risky shots when the opportunity presents itself
✨Psychological Edge Matters – Confidence, mindset, and the ability to handle pressure are crucial in both
🔄Optimizing Performance – In marketing and tennis, you have to continually improve
📚Endurance – Both marketing and tennis require patience and fortitude
🎨Adaptability – You need to adjust your tactics based on real-time and situational feedback. A competitor might counter your marketing strategy, just as an opponent in tennis may figure out your patterns. Being flexible and making adjustments mid-match or mid-campaign can be the difference between winning and losing. Both of these pursuits require a very high degree of skills and adaptability in order to make it to the winners circle. In competitive markets, especially in B2B SasS, where I’ve spent nearly 20 years, there are always new competitors. There are always new approaches to business, so you must adapt or perish, and in tennis each new opponent has a different combination of abilities, and when confronted with something new, you have to continually adapt your game .
🎯Strategy is Key – In both marketing and tennis, success requires a well-thought-out strategy. Whether it’s planning a campaign to capture a target market or crafting a game plan to exploit an opponent’s weaknesses, preparation is critical. Marketing is also a great combination of strategic thinking and tactical execution. There are many competitors in nearly every field for both, and in order to beat your competition, you have to have a strategy, but you also have to be able to execute well.
🔄Consistency Wins – Just like unforced errors in tennis can cost you a match, especially if your shots produce more errors than winners, inconsistent branding or messaging can weaken a otherwise well-conceived marketing campaign. Both disciplines reward steady, high-quality execution.
💡Knowing Your Opponent – Success in marketing depends on understanding your competition as well as your audience and what motivates them. Similarly, in tennis, you need to read your opponent’s strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies to best navigate a path to victory.
🚀Risk vs. Reward – In tennis, you have to take some risky shots when the opportunity presents itself. In marketing, taking calculated risks—like an innovative or irreverent campaign—can lead to breakthrough success. But if you’re too aggressive without proper execution, or a willingness to adjust based on in-game or in-market results, it can backfire.
✨Psychological Edge Matters – Confidence, mindset, and the ability to handle pressure are crucial in both. Just as mental toughness can turn a tennis match around, a differentiated brand identity and clear messaging can win over customers. I’ve often been asked: “how come you play so well under pressure?” and my answer is because I always have, and it’s really all about staying in the moment. I’ve always approached the game one point at a time, and the market, one initiative at a time. The best players and market performers have both the confidence and the mental fortitude to prevail under the most challenging circumstances, while others are more likely to fold as the pressure intensifies.
🔄Optimizing Performance – In marketing, you track KPIs, ROI, engagement and other key metrics to measure relative performance and success. In tennis, stats like first-serve percentage, returns in play, and unforced errors often determine the outcome. If you’re not always analyzing and improving, you’re probably falling behind. There are always new and changing tech technologies in both fields. In marketing, GenAI has introduced a sea of change in how we market and work. In tennis, advanced aerospace technology has been incorporated into the manufacture of tennis rackets so they can absorb more pace and produce more power with less effort.
📚Endurance – Both marketing and tennis require patience and fortitude. In most competitive tennis encounters, endurance is a factor – matches can extend to three, four or even five hours, and if you’re not prepared for a long, complex, challenging back-and-forth battle, you’ll likely fall victim to your competitor. And the same is true in business. A few years ago, who would have thought Nvidia and Intel would swap places as the dominant chip company?
As I prepare to compete in a fifth consecutive national championship in San Diego next month (at my level and in my age group of course), the parallels for excellence in marketing and Tennis have come into sharper focus. You have to bring your A game every day. You have to adapt to the situation, conditions, and other players.
And all of these aspects are also true in marketing and tennis – anticipation, pattern recognition, rapid calculations, fast response, the first step, consistent execution, continuous improvement. And while most tennis pros don’t play past 40, good recreational players can improve as they age, as long as they’re committed to rigorous training. The same is true with Marketing. Experience matters a lot, and decision-making generally improves over time.
Would you say your marketing approach is more aggressive like a serve-and-volley player, or do you prefer a strategic baseline game, setting up for a battle of attrition? I prefer to slowly wear down my opponents, how about you?
CMO Mentor 