Measuring strategy.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Determining the success of a potential ad campaign is an interesting proposition. You can endlessly weigh your media options and test creative executions into an early grave, but rarely does anyone ask, “How do you know if the strategy is right?” Here are guidelines to help you evaluate your thinking.

Some short-term indicators:

Gut: Make sure the strategy feels right in your gut. Your instinctive reaction
to the strategic idea is the first and best way to gauge its strength. You’ve reviewed all the background information, you’ve poured through target research...it’s all there telling your gut what to do. If you’re excited about
the strategy, and you can’t wait to get going, you’re probably on to
something good.

Other people’s reactions: If your agency’s creative and media personnel get excited about a strategic premise, it’s an excellent sign that it will have some impact. Likewise, if our clients are jazzed by the strategy after seeing it even in a Powerpoint format, it’s a great indication.

Springboard effect: Is the strategic premise springboarding new and fresh tactics? If the strategy begets new ideas, it’s probably right on. A good sign: The strategy is taking your campaign to new places untried and even unknown to you or your competitors.

Energizer effect: Does everyone in the client’s company get excited when they hear about it? Does it make employees and staff feel good about what they do? This is arguably the best measure of “rightness”: you’ve found a compelling way to tell the truth, and people see it and identify with it. And they want to hear more.

Of course, once the campaign is up and running, there are more tangible ways to measure the strategy:

Obviously, business results: Are sales up? Are objectives being met?

Creative awards: While awards really gauge the abilities and talents of the creative staff, it’s not surprising that those campaigns garnering the most creative recognition start with a solid strategic direction, enabling the creative team to do their best work.

Impact: Does the campaign break out of its boundaries? Does it get talked about rather than just seen and heard? Do people enjoy it?

Longevity of the idea: A great way to know if your strategy was right is by how long it lives before someone asks, “Let’s go back to the drawing board.” Campaigns with sound, insightful strategic directions live longer because they work harder.

Strategy is the unseen framework behind great marketing and advertising campaigns. When it works well, you’ll want to protect it. Perhaps that’s the best measurement of all.

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Measuring strategy.

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