The worst campaign you do should be your first one.
With Dune Part 2 due out in theaters next week, and the immense positive reviews it’s getting, we’re reminded of the rich history that sequels have.
The Dark Knight. The Empire Strikes Back.
The first movie is arguably an opening act for the main event to come a few years later.
Sometimes, the first act is just plain bad.
It needs tweaking and finessing to get to a better product.
In fact, the first time I try anything, I typically screw something up. But once I get used to it, I can really start running.
First-up mistakes are everywhere in culture.
Right now, first mistakes are pretty evident in the new baseball uniforms the MLB just rolled out.
The deficiencies range from players names and numbers being too small to…their pants being too see through.
The fallacy here is the MLB, Nike, and Fanatics spent years fine tuning the uniforms to be the best they could possibly be upon launch.
But it didn’t matter.
Because similarly, in marketing, first campaigns are where you learn the most but also where you screw up the most.
It doesn’t matter the amount of planning put in, or the experience of the team (we’re talking about Nike, after all!); you are inevitably going to learn and experience things you never saw coming.
The trick is to learn as much as possible prior to when the stakes are highest.
For example, I like gambling on college basketball. I make sure to learn (and lose) as many bets as is reasonable prior to March Madness, because that’s when the stakes are highest and there’s real money to be made after a full season of scouting teams.
The MLB fiasco is operating similarly. They’re working out the kinks in spring training so the season can be as flawless as possible.
You never want to run your first campaign ever in a peak season. The goal is to learn as much as possible prior to that season to influence it.
Now, people might not like hearing this. First campaigns are a chance to show that the marketing plan is airtight, that the finance team was right to increase your marketing budget, etc.
And money looks wasted in these first campaigns that learn more than their impact on the business.
But this is for all the people who shut down their marketing efforts or label something as “not working” after just one try.
Because the reality is, it’s not supposed to really work that well in round 1.
It’s supposed to set up an incredible sequel and beyond.
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