The Unseen Work Behind Great Brand Experiences
114 years ago, the most famous ship in the history of the world sank to the bottom of the Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg. While it was the mass of ice that physically pierced the hull, it was complacency that led the ship into it.
Since then, in the Brand world, we have witnessed Kodak go bankrupt, the demise of Blockbuster, and Nokia going from giants in the Telecommunications sector to what they are now. (I recently spotted Nokia phones selling for €39.99 at an FSDU beside the tills in Woodies DIY!).
Research would indicate that the root cause of the downfall (figurative and literal) of these examples is complacency.
Complacency can be defined as a feeling of self-satisfied contentment with one’s abilities or situation, often unaware of actual dangers or deficiencies. Simply put, the decision-makers in Kodak, Nokia, Blockbuster, White Star Line, or indeed on-board the Titanic felt secure in their own ability and situation and failed to navigate the challenges ahead.
In any walk of life there are variables and tribulations to overcome. It’s just a part of the journey. We have been taught in life that the only way to mitigate against risk is to make a plan. “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”, etc.
A plan is just like any machine. As long as there are moving parts, there is a strong chance of error, or even complete failure. And the more moving parts, the greater the opportunity for failure.
In the world of live, experiential marketing activations and events, we are challenged every day to create fun and engaging ways to bring brands to life in memorable ways for consumers and to create lasting and tangible impact on consumer behaviour.
The creation of these concepts is as fun as it is important. Blue-sky thinking, and bouncing ideas amongst the team until we land on something innovative and impactful. It’s a part of the process that I have always enjoyed, as I love seeing an amalgamation of people’s ideas and previous concepts merge into something new and exciting. At this stage, there are no limitations, just creativity!
… and then comes the execution. The real challenge of bringing these bold, exciting ideas to life. The addition of the moving parts. The input of risk!
This is where so many brilliant plans fall short. Not in the failure to plan. It’s in most agency’s SOP’s to plan for execution. From risk assessments to production schedules, it’s generally always planned out. As the term SOP suggests, it’s standard procedure! But standard procedure can often be considered as auto-pilot. Going through the motions. “We’ve done this thousands of times, so we know what we’re doing and we know what to expect”. Copying previous Risk Assessments and updating a couple of details on the cover page. Ticking the box with topline production schedules. Booking in the first available staff. Loading the van with the usual kit.
Successful activation, in my opinion, relies on Murphy’s law. “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. It’s constructive pessimism! If I know something will go wrong, I can plan to deal with it. So the focus needs to be on all the possibilities for failure… Poor or restricted access to power. Staff drop-offs. Weather. Low footfall. Excessively high footfall. Security issues. Branding imperfections. Etc, etc, etc.
My advice… Switch off the auto-pilot. Log out of Chat GPT. Sit and focus on the activation or event at hand. Create the Risk Assessment and production schedule bespoke to the task at hand. Be constructively pessimistic. Leave no stone unturned. And once you have the list of speed bumps, apply the necessary safeguards to ensure smooth navigation around them.
Hire staff based on competency and reliability rather than availability, and support them effectively to mitigate risk.
Have the right kit packed to resolve issues with branding, electricity, trip hazards, etc on site quickly and effectively. And don’t leave spotting or resolving these issues to the wrong people with less reason to be as clinical as you.
The hard graft required to ensure smooth and successful execution is the unglamorous side of the work that we do, but it’s the most vital. The success or failure of any great idea is in the execution. The consideration and management of all the moving parts.
It’s the difference between arriving at the port safely or not.