Henry Ford
A useful definition of intelligence is not, as you might expect, avoiding mistakes—we all make those—but the avoidance of repeating mistakes. I am sure a well-known American industrialist was thinking along these lines when he famously said:
American founder of the Ford Motor Company
So why, then, do we so often try something, find it ineffective and then repeat the experience? An example? Ok… I know of a Marketing Director who was quite convinced that traditional advertising was the way to reach his company’s audience. Yet the enquiries failed to come in despite an astronomical spend on newspaper and TV advertising. And the few leads that were generated failed to convert to sales.
After three years of this, our Marketing Director was finally persuaded to try the internet. Google Adwords advertisements and regular e-shots to a leased database later… and the enquiries and conversions started to happen (and very cost-effectively at that).
Any lessons from all of this? Loads! Be prepared to abandon what isn’t working. It may be comforting to pursue the familiar but not at the expense of results. And be prepared to take a risk and embrace something new. And in the case of this Marketing Director, be prepared to overcome a fear of the unknown. He was unused to and therefore apprehensive of the internet…
Tags: 1863 advertisements american founder american industrialist audience avoidance conversions embrace fear of the unknown ford ford motor ford motor company google henry ford intelligence internet google marketing risk traditional advertising tv advertising
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”Henry Ford (1863-1947)
American founder of the Ford Motor Company
So why, then, do we so often try something, find it ineffective and then repeat the experience? An example? Ok… I know of a Marketing Director who was quite convinced that traditional advertising was the way to reach his company’s audience. Yet the enquiries failed to come in despite an astronomical spend on newspaper and TV advertising. And the few leads that were generated failed to convert to sales.
After three years of this, our Marketing Director was finally persuaded to try the internet. Google Adwords advertisements and regular e-shots to a leased database later… and the enquiries and conversions started to happen (and very cost-effectively at that).
Any lessons from all of this? Loads! Be prepared to abandon what isn’t working. It may be comforting to pursue the familiar but not at the expense of results. And be prepared to take a risk and embrace something new. And in the case of this Marketing Director, be prepared to overcome a fear of the unknown. He was unused to and therefore apprehensive of the internet…
… now, unsurprisingly… he loves it!
Tags: 1863 advertisements american founder american industrialist audience avoidance conversions embrace fear of the unknown ford ford motor ford motor company google henry ford intelligence internet google marketing risk traditional advertising tv advertising
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