The Shock of the New. 2007 Qtr 3
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The Shock of the New.
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New often has the power to shock. And shock generally refers to Scandalize. Think Salvador Dali or Robert Mapplethorpe in the art world; or mini skirts and punk piercings in the fashion world of their time. Pretty shocking back then.
Today, it seems almost impossible to shock anyone with new art or fashion, but it’s a different story in business. Today, it seems that every new thing shocks us into action. There’s search engine optimization, Internet advertising, mobile advertising, Podcasting, your corporate videos on You Tube, marketing dashboards, Green Marketing…and the list goes on.
This is especially true for sales and marketing. Pity the poor marketing exec who goes into a meeting without a ready answer to the question: “So, what’s our strategy on say, Internet Advertising? We’ve gotta be doing it or planning on doing it because, well, because. After all, it’s new and we don’t want to get left behind now, do we?”
The problem is really with the question. It’s really not about the strategy or a particular new trend.
Podcasting and all these other new things don’t require a strategy, at least not right away. First, they require a point of view. You need a strategy for your business. Your strategy connects with your mission, your goals and your intent. Tactics and tools support strategy.
Perhaps Buckminster Fuller (an architect, thinker and inventor of the geodesic dome, you can Google him) summed it up neatly when he said:
“I did not set out to invent a geodesic dome; I set out to discover the principles operative in the Universe and turn them over to my fellow men. For all I knew this could have led to a pair of flying slippers.”
So, perhaps the next time someone asks what your strategy is about some thing, perhaps we should take the opportunity to re–frame the question: “Let me tell you what our point of view is on (your favorite new topic here).”
Beginning with a point of view will have two immediate benefits: first, it will keep the discussion on the appropriate level (how a tactic supports a strategy); and second, it will very likely save you some money.
We’ve probably all seen it happen. The question is asked: “what’s our Google strategy?” or “what’s our green/environmental strategy?” The next thing you know, you’re spending money on Google keywords. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, unless you’ve got money to burn.
First step is to develop a point of view. Then answer the question: “does this support our strategy?” If it doesn’t meaningfully connect with your strategy, forget about it. If it does, allocate appropriate funds to test, establish metrics, and by all means give it enough time and attention to see if it works for you.
New things are important. But it’s prudent to get to know them before rushing to judgment. Performing due diligence on trends, ideas, technologies and products means you’ll develop a keen point of view on how appropriate these new things are for your business and your brand.
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