David Ogilvy said "I occasionally use the hideous word 'creative' myself, for lack of a better."
Too much of what passes for marketing is based on creative whim. General advertisers often shoot blind, trying to make "impressions" instead of targeting sales.
As they used to say at Benton & Bowles Advertising agency way back in the 1930s: "If it doesn't sell, it's not creative."Unlike general advertising, direct marketing is more of a science. But a "science" is no more than a pile of information. And information is only as valuable as how it's interpreted -- and how it's used. Even the most sophisticated database marketing cannot guarantee results. Otherwise, direct mail campaigns would bring in closer to a 98% response, instead of the 2% that is usually considered a "successful" prospect mailing.
Like creativity, the importance of technology is overrated. In marketing decisions -- as in all decisions in life -- computers can't replace judgment. They can only inform the decision-makers. No technological edge -- no creative inspiration -- can make up for a poorly conceived marketing strategy No creative genius can redeem bad timing, bad positioning... or a bad product.
Too many advertisers follow a creative flash inspired by a breakthrough in technique. And (I hate to admit this, but) we can all fall into the same trap. Instead of a strategy firmly grounded in a master plan, we often get "Hey, let's try a podcast," or a pop-up, or a DVD, or a gift-box with bronze barbells or a Lone Ranger mask...or some other innovative attention-grabbing gimmick. In the rush of the creative excitement, we lose sight of what to do with the attention once we grab it.
The other week, I saw an article in the Book Standard that said 40% of kids use some kind of technology, like a computer or iPod, to read or listen to books. According to the survey, 34% of those technology-savvy kids are high-frequency readers, while only 25% of kids of who not use technology are high-frequency readers.
I immediately suggested to Robert Avrech that he do a podcast series based on The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden. I thought it would be a great idea, like the old Lone Ranger radio shows. But Robert knows his audience better. He said, "Jewish kids read books. They do not listen to books. This I know for a fact." Podcasting would have been the wrong approach.
Perhaps the best model for this type of flawed thinking is a military one. We confuse execution with tactics.
But this is already getting too long. So we'll save the battle scene for later..... Stay tuned!
UPDATE: Continued here: Declaring War on "Creativity" II