If you had a $3 million marketing budget, where would you spend it? You could take out one Superbowl ad for a big 30-second hurrah or you could spend one tenth of the marketing budget (or $300,000) for an “incredibly extensive six-month marketing program, including blogs, video, audio, and webinars, generating consistent new creative ideas” with social media guru Chris Brogan? I’d fork over a tenth of the budget to Chris Brogan. Why? I could easily measure performance and see the direct impact of every dollar.
Maybe in a pre-recession economy I would consider such a rock star move as dropping $3 million in 30 seconds, but now, there is not a penny to spare on risky business. We are living in a results-driven era where impact supersedes highfalutin maneuvers and ideas. While you might have a big idea, you need to have practical applications for it to matter.
How does Chris Brogan relate to Bill & Melinda Gates? Both are in the business of practical applications that matter. Bill & Melinda Gates have pledged an additional $10 billion to provide vaccinations to 8.7 million children in the developing world over the next 10 years to the already $5 billion donated.
The Gates Foundation is on-trend because vaccines have a clear path to results — as each dollar has tangible impact. Performance can easily be measured: one vaccine is one life. In fact, 7.6 million children under age 5 could be saved by 2019, states the Chronicle.
Practical can also be measured on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Bill & Melinda Gates’ vaccines provide health safety — one step above physiological needs. The Gates have selected a results-driven, practical application to help people gain basic security needs. In an era of practicality and frugality, Bill & Melinda Gates are making real, tangible, measurable impact with their dollars. It goes back to the question: would you rather spend $3 million in one big bang and hope for results or be practical and make measurable, sustainable impact? This isn’t a hail mary pass. It’s a well-thought out, high percentage touchdown drive.
Image by sanja gjenero from Stock.Xchng
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