Essential Marketing Insights: Lessons Learned from a Multi-City Activation

So we did an event.  In multiple cities for a three-day activation in each city.  Some things went well, some things we weren’t proud of.  Ultimately, we came through for our client despite some challenges.  Here are some notes that will hopefully help our peers in the marketing industry!  

Goal - Knowing the goal up front is crucial.  How can you measure success when the end game changes midstream?  Clearly defined goals, in writing, are invaluable and enable everyone to reach the metrics.  If a client hasn’t determined measurable goals, it’s up to the agency to be clear in what will be considered success and to communicate that to the client clearly; and get agreement that it’s aligned with the vision.  In the situation we’ll call “Live and Learn” or LAL for short, in our eagerness to please the client, we inadvertently enabled the evolution of the goal from one that could be (and WAS) achieved, to one that was well beyond the scope of the original ask as well as the training provided by the client.   Ultimately, this complicated our ability to deliver effectively.

Time zone – Are all parties in the same time zone?  If not, clarify early what the expectation is for availability outside of the home location's normal business hours.  In the situation used as an example, multiple cities equals multiple time zones, and require attention to detail.  

Training – First you train internally to be sure your team is aligned with expectations.  Then you train your business partners and field teams to represent the brand as well as the agency in a way that says you know what you’re promoting and its value as well as how to best get the results you want.  When the goal changes, as it did in this LAL case, but the training doesn’t evolve accordingly, you haven’t created a winning situation. 

Field team – Your company as well as your client is represented by the people you have in the field.  Have you vetted them sufficiently to ensure they are capable, reliable, and representative of the brand?

Communication with client – And that doesn’t mean CONSTANT, it means relevant and timely dialogue between client and agency.  If you ask three questions and either don’t get any answers, or get a response to only one query, you have to follow up and get the information you need to proceed.  What’s the client’s preferred method – email, phone call, WhatsApp, texting?  Depending on the length of the program, having a subject line with the week of / date is helpful and can eliminate massively long emails.  Determining who needs to be included as well as who is nonessential up front is useful along with who is able to approve and at what level.  Additionally, ensure that deadlines are clearly communicated and approved by all relevant parties to keep the project on track and avoid any delays.

Communication with vendors – Your vendor partners are critical to your success, and a failure to have access to them in real time when an activation is scheduled or active can create havoc.  It’s ideal to have a contingency plan in place prior to unanticipated changes. 

Pivot – while it’s not the ideal scenario, developments during a program that spans several days or weeks or even months, can cause the need to pivot.  Factors impacting could include weather, 

The final accounting – post-mortem 

The final accounting is a crucial phase of any project, providing an opportunity to reflect, analyze, and document the outcomes comprehensively. This process goes beyond mere financial reconciliation; it encompasses a thorough review of the entire project to identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.  Conducting a post-mortem analysis both internally and with the client gives everyone a chance to evaluate the program’s successes and areas for improvement.

The learnings - integrity

Embrace integrity in all aspects of the project, from planning to execution and evaluation, ensuring transparency and honesty with clients and partners.  Reflecting on what went well and what didn’t provides a roadmap for enhancing processes, strategies, and team performance.

The experiences and insights gained from our recent project have been invaluable. Every challenge faced and every success achieved has contributed to our growth and understanding as a team. As difficult as it can be at the moment, we always take away a lot more from our mistakes than we do our achievements.

By reflecting on our learnings, we are better equipped to enhance our strategies, refine our processes, and deliver even more impactful results for our clients.