Recognition Marketing - Calling Marketing "Audibles"

Marketers Can Learn A Lot From Tom Brady

By David Miranda

There is a great deal of time, effort, and resources invested in developing a marketing campaign. Budgets are allocated. Timing is determined. Research is conducted. Target audiences are identified. Creative is produced. Media plans are developed. The campaign is launched - but then things don't go according to plan. The playing conditions change. The competition throws up a few surprises. What to do?

Whether you are a football fan or not, marketers could learn a great deal from All-Pro quarterback Tom Brady. Many times after calling a play in the huddle, you notice him walk to line of scrimmage and immediately scan the defensive scheme. If he determines that the defensive setup will neutralize the called play, he'll immediately start calling audibles at the line of scrimmage making his teammates aware that a new play is necessary. You will even see him move key players around to counter the defense. This is all done in less than 30 seconds. This happens throughout the game.

Marketers need to do the same.

During the marketing campaign, when playing conditions change and the competition throws up a few surprises, marketers need to call "audibles", i.e. tweak the plan on the run, to be successful. After the campaign is over, it is too late and a post mortem of what went right or wrong is meaningless in impacting results for that fiscal period. The time to have taken action was during the "game".

Too often, marketers become spectators of their plans rather than active participants in the "game" while it is being "played."

Have a game plan, but be ready to call "marketing audibles". It's the mark of an "All-Pro" marketing QB.