Digital marketing is like mahjongg.
A few months ago, I started playing mahjongg. Not the tile-matching computer game, but real mahjongg. Four players. Racks. Tiles clicking. Bams, dots, and cracks flying across the table.
Since then, I’ve fallen in love. Not just with the game, but with the community. Now I’m playing a few times a week, and what started as a curiosity has become a hobby that’s both challenging and unexpectedly joyful.
At the same time, I’m teaching my digital marketing course this semester at Georgetown. So between tile racks and Zoom sessions, my brain’s been doing what it always does, connecting the dots.
Turns out, digital marketing has a lot in common with mahjongg.
In both cases, there’s a whole layer of strategy just beneath the surface. And if you don’t know it’s there, you’ll never understand why the experienced players are always two steps ahead.
Real mahjongg is a mix of pattern recognition, adaptation, risk management, and long-term thinking. So is digital marketing. You’re not just reacting, you’re reading the table, building your hand, discarding what’s no longer useful, and constantly recalibrating based on what everyone else is doing.
Let’s break it down.
1. Everyone Thinks It’s Simpler Than It Is
A lot of people think mahjongg is that solo tile-matching game with flowers and calming music. You click, things disappear, very zen.
It’s not.
Real mahjongg, the kind I’m playing, is strategic, fast-moving, and deeply social. There’s pattern recognition, risk management, table dynamics. It’s a game of timing and tactics, not just tiles.
Digital marketing gets the same treatment. People assume it’s simple. Just post a few things, send an email, run a Facebook ad. Easy, right?
Not quite.
Real digital marketing, like real mahjongg, takes skill, planning, and a long-game mindset. What looks easy on the surface usually isn’t.
2. It’s a Multi-Channel, Multi-Move Game
Mahjongg isn’t won with a single move; it’s the cumulative effect of small, smart choices. Do I keep this tile and try for a pure hand? Or discard it now and shift strategies?
In digital marketing, same deal. You don’t win with one post, one email, one blog. You build momentum across channels: SEO, social, email, PPC, influencer, affiliate, even SMS.
Success comes from knowing how the pieces work together and when it’s time to shift your strategy mid-hand.
3. Pattern Recognition Is Everything
Experienced mahjongg players see patterns before they’re fully formed. They know when something could work… and when to walk away.
In marketing, patterns show up in the data. That odd drop in open rates. The landing page that’s converting but only from paid traffic. The blog that suddenly ranks after you added a single long-tail keyword.
If you’re not looking for patterns, you’re just reacting. And that’s how you lose.
4. You Win by Watching the Table, Not Just Your Hand
Mahjongg players don’t just look at their own tiles, they watch everyone else’s discards, calls, and reactions. Because what they’re doing affects your next move.
In marketing? You better be watching competitors, customer behavior, and channel changes. That Instagram algorithm update. That Google core update. That TikTok ban that may or may not happen.
Playing in a vacuum? That’s how strategies get stale… and budgets get wasted.
5. You Can’t Hold On to Everything
Sometimes a tile is beautiful, but it’s not helping your hand. Discard it.
Same goes for digital tactics.
If your organic Facebook engagement has been flatlining for two years, it might be time to let it go, or at least deprioritize it. That weekly blog post that gets 12 visits and zero conversions? Discard.
We only have so many tiles. So many hours. So much budget. Play the ones that move you toward the win.
6. There’s No Winning Without Risk
Mahjongg rewards bold plays. Holding out for the perfect hand. Going for a risky win instead of settling for a safe one.
Digital marketing is no different. Want to stand out? Then test something new. Launch the series. Write the bold copy. Run the campaign that might flop, but could also triple conversions.
No one wins by staying safe and quiet. Not in marketing. Not at the mahjongg table.
7. Play With People Better Than You (And Then Be That Person for Someone Else)
At our large mahjongg community events (we get more than 150 people some nights!), each table has a little sign to guide who should play there: “Teaching Table.” “Support Table.” “All Levels Welcome.” There are multiple tables with each of these signs, but then there’s one, just one, with a sign that says “Mahj Mavens.”
When I first started going, that sign felt like a velvet rope. I never even considered playing at that table; in fact, I was a bit too intimidated to even speak to those players. So I watched from afar. Quietly admiring their expertise.
Then I went to an afternoon session. I arrived early, and found myself face-to-face with one of the ‘Mahj Mavens.’ He asked if I was there to play; I said I was, not quite sure of what I’d gotten myself into.
I didn’t realize it, but this was a small session. Instead of 150 plus people, we had 8. Instead of too many tables to count, we had 2. And I ended up at a table with “A,” that Mahj Maven who had greeted me when I arrived.
And you know what? A was so nice. I learned that he had been playing mahjongg since he was 5 years old (and now he’s 50). During the game he explained one of my missteps without making me feel foolish, offered tips, and made space for me to learn in real time.
That’s how I know firsthand that playing with people who are better than you will make you better too.
Digital marketing works the same way.
Read what experienced practitioners are sharing (like, ahem, this article). Take the course (I offer a few). Hire the consultant. (Let’s chat, I’m happy to help.) Then, pay it forward. Help the new team member. Share what worked, and what didn’t. Be generous with your experience.
Also? You don’t have to be a maven to enjoy the game. You can still play well. You might even win now and then. Yes, there’s skill involved, but there’s also luck. The right tile shows up when you need it. Someone discards what you’ve been waiting for.
Same in digital marketing. You can have the best-laid campaign strategy and still be surprised by what lands. It’s part skill, part intuition, part timing… and every now and then, a little bit of magic.
Final Draw
Seriously — digital marketing is like mahjongg.
The beauty of both mahjongg and digital marketing is that they reward experience, but they also reward observation, testing, and a willingness to try, even when you’re still learning. You don’t have to be the loudest or flashiest player at the table. You just have to read the room, play with intention, and keep showing up.
And when someone tells you, “Isn’t it just about matching things?” you’ll know you’re already three moves ahead.
May your next campaign be a mahjongg,
jj
Jeanne Jennings is the Founder and Chief Strategist at Email Optimization Shop, a boutique consultancy and training organization where she helps clients craft more effective and more profitable email programs.
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