Hasta La Creative!

I was speaking with a co-worker today and we began talking about how, with the recent major decrease in the economy and spending, companies have stopped using their employee’s brains and are doing the bare minimum to keep companies afloat. This is probably the worst idea companies have ever had (and that’s saying something).

Companies are no longer buying marketing and advertising spots to save money. This idea has killed off corporations and lesser known items have taken its spot. Why? Because the smaller company didn’t forget to use a strategy.

It’s not that one product was better than another, it’s that the small corporation took the money that they had reserved for marketing and actually used it for, surprise, marketing. They created a campaign, a strategy, and while the big company sat on their hands and saved their money, the lesser known of the two became the top seller.

Here’s another analogy to put it into perspective. Remember the guy in your high school that every girl had a crush on, but he really wasn’t that great (or maybe he was, but there may have been better in the school, too)? Guess what, he had a strategy, and it worked. Whether it was being rude to girls, ignoring them, or playing a great game, he had a strategy. The rest of the male population only knew they liked a girl and that was as far as they got.

Advertising and marketing is the same. It’s all about the strategy. I’ve tried numerous unknown products and found that, in some cases, the product is better than the large corporate products, but they’re missing a great advertising campaign and the strategy that comes with it.

Perhaps the best strategic campaign, and we’ve all heard of it, is HBO’s True Blood. Not only did they have fantastic print ads, but they also had Web Sites for vampires (which surprisingly all the vampires we have in the world tell their secrets on), a synthetic blood drink for vampires which they had print ads for as well, True Blood books and numerous interactive sites and games. They even brought in other vendors, such as the Mini Cooper. And part of their strategy was the option to spend money for different campaigns in different continents. There wasn’t just one campaign for the entire world. And the consumer advocates built out of this strategy was immense.

Let’s go back in time to the 1680’s, where the word strategy was developed. The word “strategy” actually comes from war, meaning, “to lead.” It’s the science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.

What I’m saying is this – It’s all about strategy. A corporation could have the best product, idea, etc., but if there’s no strategy, there’s no competition. So go to war, strategize, and be victorious.