The more time you dedicate to launch an initiative, the more likely it is to fail. The whole notion that success consists of 90% planning and 10% execution doesn't apply to marketing anymore.
MySpace.com went from concept to idea in 1 1/2 months.
Then why do most tv commercials take two months to produce ? Can their impact be that big? I don't think so.
And tv commercials don't have to take forever either.
Vizio did a superbowl spot in a few days. My boss, Tracy Wong, once did a series of television commercials where he shot the spot in the morning, edited immediately and they went to air that same day. The whole concept was based on the thought that Fresh Mex had the freshest mexican food in town, and their commercials were no different. The concept worked, Fresh Mex gained market share and the campaign became famous in our industry.
Good work can be done really really fast.
Strategy is crucial. However, it's not about dedicating long periods of time to strategic thinking but rather having strategic thinkers on your team (across job functions) who can make smart decisions on a dime.
Use common sense as a starting point. Then get into beta as fast as you can and let consumers vote with their wallets. Measure everything and optimize immediately.
Time kills good work.
[ratings]
This is a really good reminder. Once you've figured this out, though, comes the hard part. How do you keep things fresh, and make what you do constantly new and engaging?
Mark, that's a really good point. I think that once a campaign is up and running, it's smart to automate things as much as possible. Then allocate your new-found time to either tackling new short-term projects or maybe short-term initiatives that get added onto your current project. I like a series of short-term initiatives over one really big project.