Mind over Metrics: Catching Lightning in a Bottle

A short article on breakthrough marketing ideas. The "breakthrough idea" is characterised as a dangerous concept for the industry, as failure rates are very high and only a small fraction of campaigns are successful in achieving measurable results to the degree demanded by the client.

Mind over Metrics: Catching Lightning in a Bottle

Pat LaPointe

Marketing NPV

What do these great marketing breakthroughs have in common?

  • “Priceless” (MasterCard)
  • The Energizer Bunny
  • “Got Milk?” (California Milk Processor Board)
  • Absolut ________

All truly were “breakthrough ideas.” All were “viral” advertising campaigns, even before there was such a term.

They all were much more than campaigns, however; they were positioning strategies that effectively cemented their brands into the top echelon of their respective categories. Moreover, they were marketing platforms that have lasted for many years and evolved to adapt effectively in dynamic environments.

Recognizing the merits of all...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands