Why do some marketing campaigns work like gangbusters, while others completely flop?

Failed campaigns are inevitable in marketing. It’s part of the game.

What's important is figuring out why something didn't work. Otherwise you're on an endless treadmill going nowhere.

The problem is…

The sheer amount of available data is overwhelming.

It’s easy to get lost looking at metrics that don’t tell the full story. When this happens, you think the only problem with your failed campaign is that low click-through-rate. In most cases? The problem is much deeper.

So let’s simplify the playing field.

When marketing doesn't work, it's nearly always one of these “big 3" things.

This applies to billboards, direct mail, and even TikTok ad campaigns. These are marketing principles.

#1: the who 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️

Who is your customer? Most businesses think they know their customers, but in reality their audience research is surface level and watered down.

Ask yourself... am I reaching the right audience? And if so, is this campaign built on deep audience insights... or random ideas?

#2: the what ✍️

What are you saying? When you truly know your audience, crafting the message is easy.

Often your customers will do it for you. They'll say “I hate writing content." Then you'll write an email that starts with do you hate writing content?

Ask yourself... is this the language of my customers? Will they see themselves in it?

#3: the why 🧭

What's the strategy behind your campaign? Step outside of whatever tactical thing you're doing and put yourself in your customers shoes. Now look at your campaign with a dose of common sense.

Ask yourself... Does it make sense? Is it confusing? Is it valuable?

Don’t lose the signal in the noise.

Data and metrics are valuable, when you use them to identify which of the “big 3” is broken. Otherwise? It’s just a bunch of numbers.