What do you do if your team disagrees on advertising strategies?

Advertising trends are evolving as the world is paying more attention to EDI, Climate Change etc and as we know, consumers are becoming more discerning. Advertising teams are important and should be heard, however it’s important that the teams themselves are diverse to reflect the the lived experience of the demographics we’re targeting, otherwise we can get it so so wrong.

Disagreement is not bad unless it's coming without research and prejudice, therefore understanding POV of each of the team member is important. It has to be an inclusive approach rather than imposing top down thoughts. If you are unable to convince the team on proposed strategy and it's expected benefits with conviction then be prepared to agree with disagreements. If proposed strategy are flawless and the point of disagreements have answered properly am sure team will agree to go ahead with proposed strategy. Therefore embracing debate not only boost confidence of team, proposed strategy also go through required litmus test before it reaches to client.

In the ad world, don't fear the clash of creative titans! Channel your inner gladiator in brainstorm battles. Strongest arguments win, not egos.

As in any team where there are disagreements, the key is to hear it out and work together in resolving it. These disagreements are also indicators of dedication and commitment levels of the team. Creating a culture of collaboration is very important in every team. Healthy debates and discussions always bring out unique ideas and solutions to problems. As a leader or manager, providing the team with the opportunity to disagree gives them the confidence that their opinions matter and this helps in building trust.

They’ve spotted a flaw that you haven’t. Nobody is as smart as everybody. Even competent leaders make mistakes. Have an open discussion about why they disagree. Park your ego at the door. Don’t take it personally.

It's ALL about the client. Then it's all about the client's customers and/or potential customers. A disagreement of this sort can often stem not enough homework or discovery being done to provide clarity to your creative direction. Do more homework -> to ask smarter questions -> to get better insight -> to produce better advertising strategy.

Encouraging transparent communication helps each member articulate their perspective clearly. By asking clarifying questions and ensuring everyone fully understands each proposal and its implications, teams can work towards finding common ground and making informed decisions.

Entenda os pontos de vista de cada um, pois se é uma estratégia aberta ao time, devemos compartilhar as ideias e chegar a um ponto chave de ação

When our agency is tasked with increasing website visitors and sales for one of the client who are in grocery ecommerce, our team discussed to change the website design to something modern to focus on young adult of age groups between 25 - 35, but on detailed analysis of the client we realized the brand has a strong presence in audience of age 40 - 55 and people in tier 2 and tier 3 cities also as the brand focus on organic and naturally produced food items. So we later cam to a conclusion while the colors can be modern, we should still stick to very ease of use of the website for adult users and it worked amazing in increasing the sales. Listen to the data!

Data provides facts, the rest is just opinions and speculation. Make sure the data you utilize is fresh and up to date as it provides the best performance and most accurate info.

Data Analysis leads to Data Driven decision. It helps in optimizing and improving campaign efficiency to drive ROI. Many marketers are not able to connect dots using the data. The biggest challenge is data collection happen in silos and lack of knowledge about how to use and measure the outcome from third-party tools.

Data provides objective insights into customer behavior, market trends, and campaign performance, guiding decision-making and reducing subjective bias. By analyzing relevant data, teams can identify patterns, assess the effectiveness of different strategies, and make informed choices that maximize the impact of their advertising efforts.

Data is the secret weapon in the media sales arena. It helps you ditch the shouting match and focus on what works. Audience insights, engagement metrics, and past campaign results helps to wisely steer the conversation towards success.

Our team was trying to determine the best marketing strategies for the sales team (social, conferences, sponsorships, etc.). We all offered what's worked well in the past and which of those align with our current core values and competencies.

Establishing specific, measurable goals provides a shared vision and criteria for evaluating proposed strategies. By aligning on objectives, teams can prioritize initiatives that contribute directly to achieving desired outcomes, ensuring focus and cohesion in their advertising efforts.

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and Clear Objectives are crucial to any plan that you build expecting to generate solid results. Besides the possibility to understand if the plan that you build is running according to expectations or not, they will also help you to transform it into something more real. Ideas are always fantastic, but if the ideas aren't executable (according to your current scenario), they are just dreams that will get you nowhere. Good and clear objectives will help you understand more about the terrain that you are choosing to ground, the possible gaps in your plan, and will also engage all the stakeholders that are involved in the plan execution and construction.

Leaders usually have the overall view of the problem or challenge they are dealing with. They are always needed to ensure that everything runs as expected, and for that, they will be the ones with the most information and knowledge about the topic they are leading. And that's why sometimes, they will need to decide and choose specific paths, and there isn't any problem about it, even if part of the group doesn't agree or like the decision. Now, it is crucial that the leader guarantees to be as impartial as possible about the decision that was made and does the best to ensure the general wellness in the long term. The rest of it is all about communication and empathy.

Make new strategies and being persuasive with proper facts and figure will help. Be it ROI, time-line, profits, strengths of team members, work distribution.

Open communication is key. Each member should express their views, followed by an objective evaluation of each strategy based on factors like target audience alignment and budget. Data-driven insights help in decision-making. Seek compromises that blend elements from different proposals. Collaborative decision-making ensures buy-in from the team. Clear objectives and KPIs guide strategy development. Continuous monitoring allows for adaptation as needed.

I would do an overview of the presentations done, seek an one to one review on the same with their inputs on what seems wrong. Compile and analysze the data and rework my advertising strategies and re-prepare a plan upon intense thought provoking and keeping data analysis in mind.