In the sci-fi movie The Matrix (one of my favorites), there is a scene where a main character, Trinity, needs to quickly learn to pilot a helicopter. She relays the request to her operator, named Tank, who proceeds to “download” the necessary knowledge and expertise right into her brain.

Obviously we’re not there in terms of instant learning, but if you look at the fundamentals, we’re not that far off.

We probably won’t need to pilot a helicopter, but we might be looking for a good grilled salmon recipe or tips on SEO title tags. Our operator isn’t named Tank, it’s named Google, Yahoo! or MSN. And while we download the information too, it has to go through our computer screens before it gets to our brains.

We live in a world where it’s relatively easy to learn about almost anything. For example, on a whim, last night I learned how to brew beer start to finish. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, a sentiment I’m sure I share with many others who learn things online, but I do have a working knowledge.

The point is that it’s incredibly easy to become a Jack Of All Trades (J.O.A.T) in today’s culture. And this has a huge impact on marketers. People no longer take things at face value. Fewer and fewer “just know that something works, not why it works”. And no longer, can you assume that you know more about your product or category than the people you’re selling to.

This leads to the follow assumption: Most (if not all) of your market is informed, knowledgeable, and skeptic. Act accordingly.