Great Marketing is Killed by ADD

Seth Godin lists two factors that kill great marketing in his recent post: Fear, and Lack of Imagination.  Absolutely agree. 

the penalties for failure, even disappointment, are too psychologically strong, and modern organizations seem to be amplifiers of good and bad results - too much credit for the good, too much blame for the bad.  This kills ideas. 

But Seth neglects a major factor - glacial execution. In most organizations, the actual production and release of marketing programs lacks any sense of real urgency.  If you have a great idea (or even a strange one), it has to get out while it still has its life-force intact.  Six months later after meetings with 4 departments and 5 layers of management, any idea is likely a shattered carcass.

How long does it take to do a web site redesign - on average about 6-9 months.  To implement a cool technical feature - could be a quarter, could be a year.

It is my suspicion that a vast number of marketers have ADD/ADHD/what was I talking about again? The half-life of an idea may be hours, and is certainly no longer than a few weeks.  (If you are curious, here is the Harvard Test for ADHD).

So ask yourself how quickly can you execute on a marketing program, especially online?  Is time wasting away your best ideas?

** Please note that the Harvard screen is provided for entertainment value and is expressly intended for use by trained professionals.  For the rest of us, go nuts!

Comments

[lnahinu3]

You're right, in this day and age we don't really keep our thoughts straight. We always move away and find other things to do with our time rather than just waiting patiently. We'd rather forget what's important now for something obtainable in the future. But the thing to remember is; a truly great idea is never forgotten, its tucked away for a little bit and brought back again.