Seeking Perfection

by Steve Badertscher

I received an e-mail from my son’s teacher the other day informing me that one of his projects was late and still needed to be turned in before the end of the grading period or there would be grave consequences. (Not grave as in the cemetery variety, although judging by his mother’s reaction to this news that was a distinct possibility.)

When I inquired as to why the project in question had landed him in this predicament, he assured me that he had completed it…he just hadn’t turned it in yet.

At the risk of sounding somewhat dad-like, the next words out of my mouth were “And why not?”

Because, he explained, he just didn’t feel it was perfect yet.

On a dad-like roll, I pulled out the old “No one is perfect…that’s why pencils have erasers” quote. Unfortunately the old quote didn’t have quite the impact I had intended as he reminded me that we were discussing a multimedia project, which is created using a mouse and a keyboard, not a pencil. (Okay, that’s why laptops have a delete key, then!)

Nevertheless, I was able to get through to him that turning in an almost perfect project and receiving a B+ was a much better alternative to turning in nothing and being given a big, fat zero. He finally saw the wisdom in that and turned the project in the very next day (and I didn’t even have to mention the mom factor in the equation). I’m also happy to report he was rewarded with an A for his efforts.

Do you find yourself facing a similar situation where seeking perfection sometimes freezes you into doing nothing? I know I do.

But maybe we just need to remind ourselves every now and then that there are some jobs in life where perfection matters, like brain surgery, bomb detonating and parachute folding...

And there are other jobs where good enough is enough, like yard mowing, grocery bagging – and blog writing.

As an agency, we always like to strive for perfection, but what we do is part craft and part science, so mistakes are going to happen. Fortunately, when we do make a mistake in advertising, nobody dies in our arms.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/

The Value of Information

by Steve Fodor

My colleague, Brad Smith, recently posted some interesting information on banner ad click-thru rates we’ve tracked for a client. Two online versions of publications were used: one a traditional, editorially focused publication, the other a tabloid “shopper” publication with minimal editorial.

Interestingly, the editorially focused online publication outperformed the “shopper” publication by as much as 15 to one on banner ad click-thrus to the client’s Web site.

I’m not going to conclude that the “shopper” publication has no value. But, rather, the value of the editorial publication is the information it provides. Information is what engages people. How do I do my job better? How can I learn more? Don’t just tell me about product features. Tell me how it fits into my life or how to do my job better.

Information – or, I should say, valuable information – is becoming more of a commodity. I read recently that Facebook usage has increased from 1.7 billion minutes to 13 billion minutes over the last year. That’s a 665 percent increase. Twitter usage has increased 3,712 percent over the last year. Nielsen Online reports time spent on social networking and blogging sites has grown at three times the rate of overall Internet growth. And these aren’t all just kids with nothing better to do. The growth from the 35 to 64 age group is double that of under 18.

With so much information out there, so many distractions and so many new media usage trends, content truly is king in today’s information-intensive world. Think about what you’re saying to customers, be it in-person, on your Web site or in your advertising. Are you increasing your perceived brand value by providing information that’s of value…or are you just adding to the clutter?

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wetwebwork/

What Kind of Trade Publication Works Best for Banner Ads?

by Brad Smith

We’ve been tracking the response rates for a client’s banner ads – electronic ads – placed on trade publication Web sites and e-newsletters. Simply put, we’re keeping track of the number of times readers “click-thru” to the client’s Web site directly from these ads.

Curiously, we have two publications in the same space that have delivered dramatically different results. One is what I call a “shopper” – a tabloid-size product-oriented magazine with minimal editorial – mostly ads and news releases. The other is the more traditional trade publication, with in-depth articles covering a broad variety of industry topics. Guess which pub has pulled the most click-thrus?

The traditional magazine’s Web site is outperforming the shopper 3:1. Their e-newsletter is out performing the shopper Web site 15:1.

Why? Good question. Both are viable, valuable assets to the media mix. However, I think the readers, who a good percentage of the time are the same people, approach these two types of trade publications with very different expectations.

The shopper is approached with an “I can find out about new products to make my job easier” mentality. That’s a quick read. Readers approach the more traditional publication with an “I can find out how to use new products and learn new ideas about my profession.” That’s a more in-depth read.

I conclude that the perceived image of the magazine is naturally extended to the electronic versions from the same source. When you’re online you are looking for information – for content – and the more in-depth, the better.

That’s my thinking as to why electronic banner advertising through the traditional magazine’s newsletter outperformed the product-oriented tabloid’s Web site. Does this conclusion stand up in your opinion?

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sepblog/