A quirky 'French Lessons with a DJ' campaign failed on Facebook a decade ago, but the hosts noted it would likely succeed on TikTok with a Gen Z audience today. This reframes failure, suggesting an idea's success is highly dependent on the context of platform, audience, and cultural timing, not just the creative concept.
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Nutter Butter, a 55-year-old brand, successfully engaged a younger audience by embracing absurdist, meme-style humor. This risky strategy, while potentially alienating some, is effective for generating deep brand love because it requires taking a bold, creative stand.
The 'Mad Men' era of relying on a creative director's gut feel is obsolete. Many leaders still wrongly judge marketing creative based on their personal taste ('I don't like that picture'). The correct modern approach is to deploy content and use the resulting performance data to make informed decisions.
Five years ago, success on TikTok came from quickly hopping on trends. According to Duolingo's Zaria Parvez, that strategy is now saturated. Brands that stand out today prioritize unique creative that isn't trend-dependent, as consumers have grown tired of seeing dozens of brands doing the same thing.
Many aspiring creators who fail at traditional content (brand deals, affiliates) aren't necessarily untalented. They might be better suited for an alternative format like live shopping, which rewards different skills like salesmanship and live interaction. Success is about finding the right format for your inherent destiny and talents.
Major tech successes often emerge from iterating on an initial concept. Twitter evolved from the podcasting app Odeo, and Instagram from the check-in app Burbn. This shows that the act of building is a discovery process for the winning idea, which is rarely the first one.
Strict adherence to brand cohesion often stifles creativity and results in subjective boardroom debates. Brands achieve more by focusing on creating relevant, timely content that resonates with their audience, even if it occasionally breaks established stylistic guidelines.
A PR professional believed his client's TV appearance was a career-ending disaster. He later realized his "fuck-up" was not in the execution, but in failing to grasp the client's brilliant long-term strategy. This highlights that what seems like a tactical failure can be a misunderstanding of a client's deeper strategic goals, offering a lesson in professional humility.
A creative director describes getting fired as "brilliant" because the failed role introduced him to direct marketing just as it was becoming a dominant force. This mistake proved more valuable than succeeding in a traditional, less relevant field, leading to more learning and better connections.
A perfect track record of high-performing content indicates a content strategy that is too safe. Occasional "flops" are not failures; they are crucial data points that help you find the creative boundaries and discover new, resonant topics. Consistently testing and pushing limits is necessary for long-term growth and innovation.
Marketers and leaders often let their personal dislike for certain platforms (e.g., TikTok, pop-ups) prevent them from making smart business decisions. The only thing that matters is where your buyers are spending their time. Meet them there, regardless of your own preferences.
