Pilchard urges marketers to keep their nerve

Ian Hills, founder of Purple Pilchard has explained why great marketing does not have to be about large cheques or big gestures.

It's a worrying reality that in times of recession many supposedly strapped-for-cash companies choose either to reduce their marketing spend at the moment when it is most badly needed, or embrace a short burst of excessively priced/over-elaborate marketing in the hope that it might give their up-to-now neglected brand a new lease of life.

I believe great marketing is like a slow-dripping tap that gradually gets inside your head over a period of time - not a disingenuous, not to mention over-priced bottle of sparkling water, whose sole goal is appeal to your 'in-the-know' vanity, before leaving a rather unpleasant taste in your mouth.

Great marketing needn't be about large cheques or big gestures.

As one small example, it always amazes me just how much money is spent on packaging design, while the equally influential copywriting (back-of-pack copy, straplines, and so on) is thrown together as an 11th hour afterthought.

The same can be said of so many websites where mind-numbing flash art is still seen as a worthy substitute for thoughtful brand-building copy.

Of course, it would be wrong to ignore the fact that there are articulate brands out there, such as Innocent, Higgidy Pies and Yeo Valley, who have inspired 'new-on-the -block' brands such as Teapigs, Shaken Udder and Darling Spuds crisps to name but a few, but they are in the minority.

PR, as any seasoned marketer knows, is quite possibly the quickest, most cost-effective way to secure invaluable exposure, yet still too many brands have got sloppy, either giving PR responsibilities to an in-house junior or worse still being hoodwinked into signing up to big budget-draining agency retainers, which often result in one piece of inspired work, swiftly followed by a montage of instantly forgettable flannel.

Then there are fluffy marketing phrases like 'experiential' - for which you can simply insert the easier-to-understand phrase 'overpriced stunt'.

In short, when times are tough, please do not give your marketing budget over to sales to instil some bland, price-cutting activities, or some vast retainer obsessed agency.

Instead, hold your nerve and keep whatever you do simple and focused.

Back to top