“What’s the problem?
No, what’s the problem?
Uh uh, what’s the problem?
Nope, what’s the problem?
The problem is that you’re looking at it all wrong.”
Marketing is constantly evolving, there’s always the next big thing and there’s always those happy with the norm who tick along nicely. The product life cycle can very easily be attributed to attitudes around marketing techniques.
The film Moneyball shows a great insight into doing things differently. You take a professional sports team who play against the big hitters each week but have none of their resources and instead of doing what every team has always done you look at your problem from another angle and if all goes well, you win.
Marketing is the same. I’m proud that I’ve spent a large part of my career working in broadcasting, specifically radio, but over the years I was involved I saw huge changes in the way the audience consumed media. I think that it would be fair to say that some of my former stations adapted to this evolution better than others.
Like Billy Bean and the Oakland A’s you work the problem to find the best solution, not the historical solution or the quick fix because audiences change, markets change and businesses need to roll with their audiences to best understand their needs.
Fifteen years ago the best way for a radio station to reach an untapped audience on mass and engage with them was by partnering on major events within their region. Fifteen years ago however there was less competition in the market, therefore pockets were deeper and event execution could be epic. Now that’s all vanished yet some companies still follow the rules from the 1990s.
So how do you reach 20,000 people with less resources, convey a message about what you stand for as a brand and ensure growth and innovation for your brand? If I knew the answer I'd be a lot richer than I am. However, there is a lot to be said for a sound digital policy, getting under the skin of your audience and their interests to really target and engage with them. With so many analytics available now for campaigns this is a great place to start and a sensible solution to working a problem.
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