The extraordinary cost of being dull - Peter Field and Adam Morgan
Sep 6, 2023
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Marketing legends Peter Field and Adam Morgan discuss the impact of dull advertising on brands. They explore the cost of dull marketing to businesses, brands, and your career. They also touch on the role of danger and a mastersclass in making the dullest ad ever.
Dull marketing campaigns result in billions of wasted dollars each year, highlighting the need for more interesting and engaging strategies.
Dull campaigns tend to have significantly higher budgets compared to non-dull campaigns, suggesting that they require more spending to compensate for the lack of engagement and impact.
The rise of performance marketing and an obsession with science in marketing has led to a flight to safety and a neglect of creativity, hindering the potential for greatness and brand differentiation.
Deep dives
The Cost of Being Dull
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss the significant cost of being dull in marketing. Dull campaigns result in billions of pounds and dollars being wasted each year. The hosts aim to create a marketing world that is less dull by examining the research on the topic and exploring ways to make marketing more interesting and engaging. They emphasize the importance of standing out, being clear about your narrative, and engaging emotionally with customers. The episode also delves into the challenges of being a challenger in today's market and the need to amplify differences and challenge fundamental preconceptions.
The Impact of Dullness on Effectiveness
The podcast episode highlights the negative impact that dullness has on the effectiveness of campaigns. It discusses research that shows a significant difference in average budgets between dull and non-dull campaigns, with dull campaigns typically spending around £15 million more per year. Moreover, dull campaigns tend to be significantly less effective, demonstrating the need to invest more money to compensate for the lack of engagement and impact. The hosts emphasize the importance of avoiding cognitive overload, making emotional connections early on, breaking down information into smaller units, and using visuals effectively to enhance memorability.
Learning from Outside Categories and Overcoming AI's Limitations
The hosts discuss the value of learning from industries outside of marketing, such as education and entertainment, to make marketing more interesting and overcome the cost of dullness. They explore strategies employed by teachers, TV producers, and writers to engage and educate their audiences effectively. Additionally, they express skepticism about the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate truly creative ideas in marketing. While AI may improve efficiencies and provide generic ads, it lacks the ability to make the wild, lateral leaps that result in truly innovative and captivating campaigns. However, there is potential for AI to improve effectiveness in B2B marketing by surpassing current levels of mediocrity.
The Growing Obsession with Science and Performance Marketing
The podcast episode discusses the growing obsession with science in marketing and the impact of performance marketing on brand building. While science is important to avoid mistakes, successful marketing campaigns require room for creativity and inspiration. The focus on science and following a formulaic approach may suppress creativity and limit the ability to build innovative brands. Additionally, the rise of performance marketing, with its emphasis on immediate results and safe messaging, has led to a flight to safety in marketing. Many marketers opt for dull and safe strategies to avoid risks, but this approach limits the potential for greatness and brand differentiation. The discussion highlights the need to strike a balance between science and creativity, and the importance of capturing attention and creating emotional connections in marketing efforts.
The Cost of Being Dull and the Power of Being Interesting
The podcast episode explores the cost of being dull and the value of being interesting in marketing. Dull marketing strategies may appear safe, but they often fail to capture attention and engage audiences in today's digital age. Being interesting, even if strategically weak, can lead to better results by creating emotional connections and a memorable brand presence. The discussion emphasizes the importance of stimulating and captivating content in order to stand out in crowded media environments. The conversation also questions the traditional approach of prioritizing rational messaging over emotional impact, demonstrating that emotional engagement can drive rational brand associations. Overall, the episode suggests that being interesting is more effective than being dull and highlights the need for marketers to reassess their strategies and embrace creativity to avoid the mounting costs of dullness.
Marketing waste is one of the biggest issues facing our industry. So when marketing legends Peter Field and Adam Morgan reached out to me to talk about their new work on the impact of dull advertising on brands, I immediately got them on the podcast.
In this fascinating episode we discuss why you really can’t afford to bore your audience with your ads anymore. What have Adam and Peter learnt over 40 years about the actual cost of dull marketing to businesses, to brands and even to your career?
And for those marketers really hellbent on safety, we discuss the role of danger and a new upcoming mastersclass in how to make the dullest ad ever.
