I was recently asked, what are some common denominators across my 21-year career at MicroArts Creative Agency. Whoa. Poor guy, I made his ears bleed for the rest of our dinner with fodder that I believe to be my energy and foundation for the next big idea, always assuming there will be one:)

Here is one common denominator that makes me chuckle.

Our clients like to change their campaigns before it’s time. They have been looking at a campaign for 3 months every day before it’s launched. So by the time it has been in the market 180 days, they are ready for something fresh. While their customers aren’t sick of it, our clients are.
It makes sense that this can happen. After all, our client lives the campaign everyday and their customer sees it much less so.

Unless I point this reality out to them, they get eager for something new. Short of tackling them on their way into our creative department, there is no stopping them.

Now, as the Principal of a creative agency that is fueled by dreaming up new campaigns to support a brand’s strategy, you would think I’d love this call. Well I don’t. It makes me uncomfortable.

Here is why…

There are reasons our clients consider new campaigns. Initially when a client says, I want to do a new campaign, I get a rush of pure life through my being, my mind sharpens, and my ears perk. I am alive. Then, I start to dig into what the new revenue opportunity is that my client has identified. Ultimately, they have not discovered a new opportunity; it is that they simply seek a new campaign.

Perhaps it’s because of a competitive brand’s new innovation or new research on changing customer preferences. Or, better yet, because there is a new innovation in the product that further distances our brand’s strategy from the competition. Maybe the competition launched an unpredicted me-too brand that is creating market confusion. Or worse, the current campaign is not performing to our intended benchmarks. All of which may be valid opportunities to launch a new campaign that deliver the brand’s value.

But wonder if they want a new campaign, just because “it’s time”? I often reply, “but it’s still working.” This conversation turns my stomach into a Bachman Pretzel every time. Why not take that creative budget we’d put towards a new campaign and channel it to the existing campaign, growing the message and enhancing the exposure? I typically lose this argument.

So lately, I’ve changed this conversation. I recommend we launch a new campaign to test against the existing campaign, so we can let the customer react and help determine which is the most successful and most valuable.

I’d love your input on this. Email me at peter@microarts.com.

Peter Getman, Principal Brand Director