Over the years I've worked with many companies spanning from small locally owned shops to large national corporations and beyond. I've noticed something significant in the planning and delivery of marketing and advertising campaigns that is often overlooked or not spoken about; a factor so important that it can either produce a winning return on investment (ROI) and a happy team that met their key performance indicators (KPI) or disappointing results that will lead to the team being looked at negatively.
So what is this factor?!
It's not in the 'what' you've come up with for the campaign, it's the 'WHO' is developing the campaign and the language they speak...metaphorically. The definition of language is 'a system of communication used by a particular country or community.' Does your audience "speak the same language" as those who are setting up the campaigns? Probably not entirely and in today's diverse universe, your audience likely speaks multiple languages and can be communicated with in various ways and on different platforms. So should your marketing team 'speak different languages' from you...metaphorically.
I've noticed through interviews where I did not get the job and while working with business owners with whom it did not work out, they tended to hire people that fit who they perceived to get along with - which is very important of course. But if you're hiring marketing teams that are exactly like you, while your audience is not like either of you, how will you ever communicate with them in a way that they will pay attention to or grasp?
If you want results in your marketing efforts it will be worthwhile to work with people who are not carbon copies of who you are. It's uncomfortable to give someone a chance and entrust your budgets to people who are 'different' than you in some way shape or form, but what's important is that your advisors understand your audience. The buyer is the one that matters, and while you might think you know your audience better than anyone the global dynamic has shifted and people's priorities and loyalties have changed dramatically. To bring back my analogy, it will be worth your while to listen to and hire people who 'speak a different language,' otherwise, you might continue to get the same results, which is the definition of insanity per Einstein... 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.'