Back then, you and I may have met.
You know, back then when I had a weekly column in a New York City newspaper. One of my most (in)famous columns detailed the drama of a bad haircut at a "top & trendy" salon. Maybe you read it.
I called the haircut a Cyclops Bob. They called "it" a one-eyed trend. They informed me "Everyone" was doing it. I told them it wasn't me and asked for scissors.
They sulked. I wrote an article about "it" (and my cut bangs myself).
So, what's this got to do with lists? A whole heck of a lot.
As the economy and advertising budgets have declined, a new trend has emerged. Rather than looking at case studies as sources for ideas, agencies have begun to benchmark them as justifications for a cut of their client's budget pie. But, just like the Cyclops Bob made no sense, this strategy is also senseless. "Everyone" doing "it" doesn't make "it" the sensible thing to do.
To better examine why this justification isn't justifiable let's go back to list basics for a moment, shall we?
Let's say Retailer A ran an e-mail and SMS (short message service) campaign six months ago. They did pretty well and ran the campaign again.
Now Retailer B's agency comes along and wants the analytics and case study from A's campaign to justify B's use of the medium.
Where's the flaw? Pretty much everywhere. So, let's fill in the blanks.
Retailer A did a geo-specific e-mail with matching SMS to specific consumers to promote a specific sale. They planned specific events in markets they identified as prime performers for their brick and mortar locations, in that season. They further segmented the consumer list with age, gender income and ethnicity selects that matched their profiled top-spending customers in those markets during that season. They used geo-specific creatives with matching jump pages for e-mail and geo-specific SMS messages with matching WAP pages for their mobile campaign. Their campaign worked for them because they took the time to do what made sense--for them.
For Retailer "B's" agency to use the analytics on "A's" campaign as a benchmark for whether that specific consumer list for e-mail or SMS will work for their client is essentially useless. It wasn't the medium or the list that worked. It was the planning + the list + the medium that worked.
When "B" does their flight it will involve a list that is different. Creatives that are different. Jump pages and WAP (wireless application protocol) sites that are different. The analytics on A's' use of e-mail and SMS will in no way be an indicator of B's success in those mediums.
Looking at the concept of A's campaign is what B's agency should be studying. A wasn't successful because they used e-mail with matching SMS. They were successful because they used a list that was carefully crafted to maximize the potential of a medium in a well-thought-out campaign.
A's list was created to reflect a buying group they already knew was specifically interested in their product because they used their own benchmarks as a guide—not someone else's results. Their message was created to offer an incentive they already knew would be of interest to this group—not what had worked for someone else.
So when is it appropriate and sensible to look at a case study? (I'm going to confuse you here, so get ready.) Always!
Always be looking at what other companies are doing in concept and strategy. It can give you ideas on how to go back and look at your own methods and audience in a new way. Take the numbers and theory and put it into practice in a way that maximizes the potential of your best customer and prospect initiatives.
So how can B's agency learn from A?
B's agency needs to take the concept and examine how to implement the strategy into a flight that makes sense –for their client. Not rely on the analytics from another company's campaign to justify the use of a specific list or medium. They can look at a general use of a type of list and medium by other retailers to see if it is indeed a viable option.
It's been pounded into all of our heads over and over, but it bears repeating again, it is the medium + list + creative that all work together to make a campaign successful. If one aspect is off the whole project is off. Just examining the success of a specific campaign's list or medium isn't an indicator that your project will have identical results.
Just like the Cyclops Bob may have worked for someone. It didn't work for this one. If I had asked the salon for statistics on the haircut they would have rolled out a long list of Cyclopsed clients and told me it was great! But for me, it didn't work. (Call me crazy I needed to actually be able to see out of both eyes!) If they had taken the theory of the cut and used it to craft a haircut that met my needs it would have indeed been a success.
Statistics are awesome for examining what has worked—for your brand—not someone else's brand. They are great for examining the general viability for a list or medium. They are an amazing tool to rely upon for ideas.
But, before you make a budget decision, solely by examining what looks good on someone else's analytic overview consider what really makes sense—for you.
Carol Lustig is marketing director of Options Media/1Touch Marketing, Boca Raton, FL.
