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It’s Not About What You Want

MattLeave a Comment on It’s Not About What You Want

As marketers it can be relatively easy to get sucked out of reality into the dream world where our company offers everything WE could ever want it to. Everything WE offer is cutting edge, revolutionary, and safer than ever, even if that’s not necessarily true. Problem is, WE don’t matter. What matters is providing, to quote McCann Erickson’s enduring slogan, ‘Truth well told’.

The moment marketing collateral begins to edge away from truth,  brand equity begins to chip away. And when people can’t believe what you say, whatever you do say starts to matter less. In the age of social media, brands can’t afford to be disingenuous.

So the next time you’re thinking about rounding the corners to make your brand look good. Think about the last time you bought a product that was grossly overstating its potential and how you felt about that brand.

You don’t have to exaggerate to be successful. You just have to concentrate on finding real benefits. Real benefits beat unmet expectations every time.

Taking Advantage of Uncertainty

MattLeave a Comment on Taking Advantage of Uncertainty

Facing a challenging economy and tightening budgets, some companies may choose to do the first thing that comes to mind.

Trouble is – all analogies aside – marketing isn’t war. You don’t succeed by hiding out and waiting until it’s safe. What better time to get in front of consumers than when everyone else is taking shelter? If you need to find a way to trim your budget, look at ways to cut overhead. Can you re-purpose something that’s already been designed? Take a more focused approach or combine your company’s efforts to save time and money.

Here is a concise report from MarketingSherpa regarding marketing in an economic downturn.

Who’s On First?

MattLeave a Comment on Who’s On First?

When you woke up today did you have a plan for the day? Did you know what tasks were waiting when you sat down at your desk? Did you know who you’d be talking with, taking orders from, giving orders too? If your organization, like many, has gone through some restructuring or reorganization the answers to those questions might not be so easy. If it is easy for you, maybe it’s not easy for the people that interface with you. Make sure they know their role, how it supports the strategic goals of the company and how to fulfill it on a tactical basis.

Baseball would look awfully weird if the first baseman didn’t know where to go when the ball was hit.

Trust your coworkers

MattLeave a Comment on Trust your coworkers

In recent weeks, I’ve been surprised by the number of managers that don’t have any trust in their coworkers. They feel that in order to get things done right, they need to be: a) done by the person who wants them done b) micromanaged to the point the person actually doing the work, doesn’t have any room for ingenuity.

I will admit that a few years ago I felt the same way. I didn’t think anyone could get the job done without me telling them exactly how to do it. Recently though, and probably only as a result of being too busy, I’ve started trusting my coworkers to get the job done. They may not work the same way I do. They may not see things the same way. But in general they want the same thing that I do, a great finished product.

The key part to this equation is that the other people need to be motivated to do great work as well. If they are simply being told what to do and have no stake in the success or failure of the project, they have no reason to try (aside from fear of being fired). Surround yourself with competent people and give them guidance but also give them control. They will be happier and more engaged in the work and you’ll get more done.