In the old days, advertising budgets were apparently bottomless. Companies poured money into funny, entertaining campaigns that won lots of awards for the agencies that produced them. Media buys were planned out months in advance, and adhered to for the duration of the campaign – no matter what. And clients were told that, somehow, someway, the campaign was having a positive impact on their business: “Well, we can’t really tell you HOW this is helping your business, but look, you’re still doing well, right? So it MUST be working.”
Along comes digital marketing with its highly measurable qualities. All of a sudden, companies realize that it is, in fact, possible to know what type of return they are getting on their advertising investment. Click-through rates, open rates, etc., provide invaluable insight into the performance of their online campaigns. Now, if only there was a way to apply that type of accountability to broader-reaching, “traditional” media.
There is. And no, I’m not talking about those “direct response” campaigns that we’ve all seen. You know, the ones where screaming hosts tout products that slice-and-dice; toll-free numbers are flashed on the screen repeatedly; and prices keep dropping throughout the commercial, until finally, if you wait long enough, you can get two sets for just $19.99 – plus shipping and handling. While those campaigns are incredibly successful when it comes to selling particular products, they are certainly not right for brand-conscious companies looking to “make the sale” while being true to the brand.
I’m talking about a campaign that is built to align directly with your business goals.
We call this approach “Accountable Campaigns.” The campaigns themselves can take many forms, but they all have one thing in common: success is measured by evaluating performance against specific, clearly defined goals.
This approach is not rocket science. But it does require discipline, flexibility and ongoing campaign management to ensure success.
How can you hold your campaign accountable?
- Establish clearly defined goals. What does your campaign need to achieve to be considered a success? What are the tangible, measurable expectations of the campaign?
- Avoid long-term contracts. Don’t lock yourself into deals, or you won’t be able to adjust later.
- Test, test, test. Testing leads to improved efficiency. Test creative executions, media mix and other variables to determine the most cost-effective means of achieving your goals.
- Develop metrics and benchmarks. Ongoing measurement throughout the execution of the campaign allows you to identify issues while there is still time to address them.
- Make adjustments. Be prepared to make adjustments based on the learning. This means your campaign will require more attention, but it should also lead to greater success.
The end result is not only achievement of your business goals, but also a model that can be used – and improved upon – in future campaigns.
And, when somebody asks “So, what did that campaign do for us, anyway?” you’ll know exactly how to answer.
2 Comments
Great Article!
I think it is interesting that you said in the old days advertising budgets were apparently bottomless. I agree that companies poured money in and assumed it was successful, where as today’s technology gives us actual data proving success and companies question it and lower there budgets.
I think that you are right that being accountable takes discipline and that can be difficult for larger companies specifically.
Thank you for the comment.
I agree, discipline is key in an accountable campaign.
We find that by having an upfront agreement on goals, it makes it a lot easier to resist the urge to stray from the strategy later on. If every decision is made based on how it affects the ultimate goal, much of the subjectivity comes out of the process.
Thanks again.