The executive told me, "My team is great at marketing with a little m, not so much marketing with a big M."
The business needs both.
Let's imagine a typical little m/big M story...
Their marketing department seeks to put butts in seats at events but doesn't create a context for the event.
This type of marketing is tactical. It's practical. Interestingly, most in-house teams are built that way.
Once upon a time, someone made a brand. The Brand Big Bang happened. People wiped off the dust of that big moment and moved on.
Later, the in-house team was told, "Now, let's get down to selling stuff."
(Needle scratches record) Not so fast.
What the little m fails to do is answer, "Why?" It fails to keep the brand's big bang ripples active in the universe. It's trying to jump onto a wave that doesn't exist.
Meanwhile, the big M sits right up next to the brand. It's the storytelling that creates context for all the things you plan to do.
The big M creates the rapport you have with an audience and makes the event you're doing seem relevant to them.
It's why people will, for example, consider your suggestion that their butt belongs in a seat at your event.
Just me vibing,
Tim