Oh Behave! How Collaboration Can Lead to Efficiency and Innovation
Three types of behavior that comprise and lead to equitable collaboration.
Three types of behavior that comprise and lead to equitable collaboration.
In my last column, I talked about the number of ways in which a media campaign can create impact. While I remain convinced of the role this thinking can play in a successful media strategy, none of it would be possible without one key behavioral characteristic: collaboration. In order to achieve any degree of success, all parties need to understand the importance of equitable collaboration. This includes everything from brand planning, focus groups, brainstorms, and through the process of creative concepting and media negotiations.
You never know where a great idea or thought can come from – but you have to allow for it to be possible. And now, more than ever, you have to start looking to answer the questions you never thought to ask.
Equitable collaboration requires a different kind of thinking and a different kind of behavior. And while some productive innovation can come from unlikely sources through unlikely means, doing it well requires process and structure. The key to successful collaboration lies in finding that happy medium and knowing when and where to increase your efforts (and perhaps your investment) based on the project at hand. While the decision maker for this is often on the account side, it is up to everyone to ask more questions and push the envelope to feel empowered to collaborate.
Here are just a few types of behavior that comprise and lead to equitable collaboration:
Through behavioral targeting and other advanced target tactics, we have the ability to know multiple data points about past behaviors, interests, and preferences; however, predictive modeling cannot guarantee a specific action. It is always within the consumer’s frame of mind at that point in time as to what they will do. Isn’t the idea to create something the consumer will value? And aren’t we all consumers through our day-to-day lives?
Collaboration is a lot like the philosophy of testing different elements in a media plan: sometimes it will work and sometimes it will fail. However, just because it does not work, does not mean it will never work. Try, try again.
Amy is off today. This column was originally published on July 18, 2011 on ClickZ.