Winning Brands Don’t Swing for the Fences. They Keep Hitting Singles.
It takes more than a philosophy of small ball. It takes a culture that understands it and celebrates it.
Baseball metaphors are overused. But, in honor of spring, I will offer no shame.
The team that hits the most home runs is almost never the team that wins it all.
Small ball. Base running. Pitching. These are the cornerstones of successful teams. Doing all of the small things correctly over time yields the best results.
Same goes for brands.
In new business situations, we find ourselves defending the virtues of long-term planning based on in-depth research, proven methodologies, long-game patience. We are no match for our homerun-promising counterparts who offer campaigns that will change everything with one swing of the bat.
However, the small possibility of doing one thing right is dwarfed by the overall effect of building an organization that knows how to do hundreds of small things correctly.
It takes more than a philosophy of small ball. It takes a culture that understands it and celebrates it. Helping create an approach of discipline, patience, and not putting weight in any one moment: it is about knowing what each activity does to build on the whole and then trusting the process.
It’s not a multi-million dollar campaign. It’s a consistent story well told.
It’s not a well-covered PR gimmick. It’s consistent and authentic customer service.
It’s not a moment in time. It’s every moment, every time.
The kind of successes we build for clients are meant to be more successful with each passing day. And today, we can look back and enjoy the growth and discipline of organizations who started with us 1, 2, 5, even 15 years ago. We also look upon those we lost and often see a trail of agencies who tried and failed to hit the long ball.
As we go up against agencies that walk up to the plate with swagger ready to swing big, we understand that the likelihood of a strikeout far outweighs the possibility of a long ball. But that doesn’t play well in a conference room, just like your gap hitter doesn’t bring the kids to the ballpark.
But then again, we’re here to help brands win it all. One game, one at-bat at a time.
