The film adaptation of “Wicked” has cast a spell over audiences, with its “popular” earworms and gravity-defying performances. While most connect it to the timeless “Wizard of Oz,” fewer might ponder its parallels to the digital marketing world. Yet, as a marketing professional with a background in musical theater, I can’t help but draw creative connections between the two.
Here’s how I view digital marketing through the green-tinted lens of “Wicked”’s iconic characters:
Oz the Great and Powerful: Google
For decades, Google has stood as the all-powerful wizard of digital marketing. Marketers have poured billions into Google’s ecosystem, optimizing content to align with its ever-evolving algorithms. Search engine marketing has long been seen as the golden key to capturing consumer demand, cementing Google’s role as the gatekeeper of marketing budgets.
But much like the Wizard, Google’s reign is not without its illusions. Its aura of omnipotence relies on a complex web of data and influence that isn’t always in the best interest of marketers or consumers.
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Flying Monkeys: Cookies
Sure, Google boasts massive first-party data and a near-monopoly on search, but its real power has been cookies. Tracking consumer behavior and enabling attribution, cookies have been marketers’ lifeline for years. Despite Google’s promises to retire third-party cookies in favor of privacy-centric solutions, here we are in 2025, when cookies remain because alternatives haven’t matched their effectiveness. The Wizard’s power still lies in the tools it claims to be phasing out.
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West: Brands
Brands are the true heroes (or antiheroes) of the marketing story. With their budgets, customers, and cachet, they hold the ultimate power. Like Elphaba, they’ve placed their trust in the Wizard (Google), only to realize that the algorithms they relied on often serve Google’s interests more than their own. Brands are learning to embrace their own strength, challenging the status quo to take control of their destinies.
Fiyero: Social Platforms
Social platforms play the role of the irresistible love interest in marketing’s story. They can be rebellious (TikTok), consultative (Reddit), or dreamy (Pinterest), capturing attention with their unique charm. While Meta might be more of a frenemy to Google (perhaps, even, Madame Morrible), the rest of the social platforms flirt with brands and consumers alike, navigating a complicated web of loyalty and intrigue.
Glinda (or Galinda) the Good Witch: Publishers
Publishers, much like Glinda, present themselves as virtuous and transparent. By prioritizing reader privacy and offering premium inventory, they strive to appear “popular” with brands. However, publishers still cater to the Wizard’s whims, as Google remains a significant driver of publishers’ web traffic. Their independence, while admirable, is often intertwined with the Wizard’s dominance.
Boq: DSPs
Demand-side platforms (DSPs) are the eager but overlooked players of the digital marketing ecosystem. While they claim to empower brands with data-driven targeting, their success still hinges on their relationships with publishers, who supply the premium inventory that drives performance.
Defying Gravity
At the end of the day, whether you’re a brand, publisher, or platform, we’re all trying to defy gravity – striving for greater impact, stronger connections, and measurable results. Just like “Wicked”’s characters, our approaches may differ, but we’re all part of the same story.