When delivering outstanding results, timing is everything

When delivering outstanding results, timing is everything

In debating which elements are the most important to the success of a campaign or announcement, there are a variety of opinions. Some argue that substance trumps budget. Others hold the position that with a healthy budget, developing a strong accompanying program, such as community relations, can compensate for a lack of substance. Others think the sophistication of the client’s team is most important. 

While there are no right or wrong answers, time is one of — if not the most — vital elements that dictates success.

As they say in show business, timing is everything.

Often a prospective client will contact the agency wanting a program or needing help with an announcement that is taking place in a matter of a few weeks, or sometimes even days. Or, sometimes an existing client will call us under very tight deadlines because they’re dealing with legal or executive team pushback. Those deadlines can make it challenging to do really great work.

Generally, the more time and advance notice we have, the better the outcome. While we are committed to being “intrepid” and doing what it takes to deliver outstanding results even under tight deadlines, as a rule of thumb a minimum notice of 60-90 days is required to create and execute a dynamic launch or campaign.

Even more notice can be advantageous. One of the best examples of this in our recent history was working with Taubman and Company on the opening of City Creek Center. Taubman hired us nearly two years before the billion-dollar mixed use development was scheduled to open.

While this timeframe might seem excessive, the opportunity to work with them from the very beginning of the project allowed us to develop a strategic plan and begin execution on events and milestones in the year leading up to the big event. It also gave us an opportunity to not only build awareness with the client’s key audiences but more importantly to engage with them. The relationships we created paid big dividends in the weeks leading up to and then following the grand opening.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Centuries later this sage advice is more relevant than ever. The earlier you can engage a partner and start to plan a launch or campaign, the more likely you are to succeed and to reap the benefits of peace of mind in the process.