The Myth of Safety in Sameness

At a time of shell shock from daily seismic shifts in the marketechtonic platelets and corporate structures played against a background of world political rages it39s of course predictable that people would keep their heads downamp160 Hiding in plain sight so as not to be firedThis is obvious from the standpoint of an innovative company plying its innovative waresamp160 All of your meetings are good some people even buy see that it works and then stop thereamp160 Why don39t they deploy the new thing that worksamp160 That would get one noticed and perhaps some people would not like what is being doneamp160 Why make wavesamp160 What39s in it for meamp160 Better stay safe hiding in the herd and let it all flow same as last yearamp160 Keep everyone comfortableThis is not actually the safe strategy it seems to beamp160 You keep the boss happy figuring that she or he will take care of you no matter whatamp160 Just make the boss look goodamp160 But you are then totally unprepared for the most likely situation a new boss comes inamp160 All your political capital is goneamp160 What do you have to show for yourselfThe safe strategy is not to just check the boxes and go through the usual motionsamp160 The safe strategy is to use science now available and objective third party appraisal to test and then deploy innovative technologies that increase company and brand performance with irrefutable proofamp160 Be on the side of objective right actionamp160 Test and deploy if proven test something else and deploy if proven keep trying new things until you are moving the needle in ways that are simple to proveamp160like sales margins positive changes in brand perceptions and brand love based on large representative samplesWhat can companies do to improve the situationamp160 Many companies are already considering or actually installing Chief Innovation Officersamp160who are charged with creating processes that reach into every departmentamp160 There should be many more people with the word quotInnovationquot in their titles at least one in every department not just in marketing advertising mediaamp160and consumer insightresearch departmentsamp160 Someone with that word in their title knows he or she cannot sit still content with the ways of the pastThe other key move companies must make to truly motivate objective and scientific innovation across the board in demand creation is to change the contracts now signed with agenciesamp160 Agencies bring outside perspective and big ideas innately part of the innovation process which is a very good thingamp160 However if a media agency contract is based on a guaranteed number of sexage impressions and reach those impressions and that reach will be fulfilled even at the expense of sales and branding effectsamp160 Like buying a pound of cheese regardless of how good the cheese isamp160 As if the poundage is what ensures the valueamp160 But poundage or tonnage does not ensure valueamp160amp160A study by 605 that was part of my ARF presentation in April 2019 shows that even just one impression delivered in a psychologically compatible environment had much more positive branding effect than sevenamp160impressions delivered in psychologically incompatible environmentsamp160 This based on a nationally representative sample size of 23000 with set top box data to accurately measure the impressionsAgency contracts therefore have to be changed so as to motivate the buying of quality ad experiences not empty impressions Measure that any wayamp160you want use the RMT DriverTagTM system or make up your own system just verify that it works before you lean into itThere is no more value in hiding in plain sightamp160 The only value is accomplishment as measured by consensus reality yardsticksamp160 Abandon firstparty selfvalidation whether it39s done by the media seller or the media buyeramp160 Third party validation of everything is the wave of the future the wave being ridden by direct marketers data scientists digital experts big data experts B2Cs andamp160everyone experiencing success todayamp160 If you are not in any of those buckets you are at risk and simply not rocking the boat is going to backfireamp160 Get on the winning side innovate and prove your value with objective measuresamp160 Do it now before it39s too latePhoto by Sebastian Herrmann UnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers amp160

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The Myth of Safety in Sameness

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Bill Harvey

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