Driving Miss Bella

My wife and I have been teaching our daughter Isabella to drive. It’s been interesting. There have been all the expected stresses but surprisingly few tears (from me anyway).

One of the many new dilemmas thrown Isabella’s way, as she learns to drive, is how to deal with uncertainty.

Uncertainty just comes naturally to me, after years of driving and indeed years of creating advertising. Many of Bella’s concerns parallel those of my clients.

1. Where does the car begin and end?
We can’t see all of the car. We just have to get to know it as much as we can. Same with your brand. You’ll probably never really know what all consumers really think and feel about your brand. Take Coke. Did you know that if everyone who said they had drunk a Coke last week actually had, sales would be 5 times higher!

2. I can’t see all the other cars around me!
You never will. Same with advertising. You can research for years but will never know all you want to know. At some point you just have to go with what feels right. Have faith in yourself and your suppliers.

3. If I merge will I be let in?
If you aim for a gap, probably. Same with positioning. Being ’me too’ never works. We have to to find an opening and go for it.

I know the accountants want iron-clad certainty. But marketing and advertising just don’t work that way, because consumers are so frustratingly irrational.

Like Bella on the road, we just have to assemble some knowledge, add some instinct, then have a go. No guarantees. Sorry about that.


TIPS FOR MARKETERS
- Like driving a car, if you do nothing, you'll go nowhere.