Water Marketing Recap | September 2024

Are we too obsessed with details in marketing? Are we sometimes too much of an engineer and want to do everything perfectly?

Back from the Global Water Expo in Saudi, I had to think about what I had experienced for a long time.And I still do, wondering what the right approach is.

Would you circulate a graphic showing a sewage treatment plant, but anyone who knows anything about sewage treatment plants knows it doesn't look like that?

A few too many tanks. No discharge nearby. There is no aeration in any of the tanks. You get my point.

Over the past 15 years, I've repeatedly discussed one detail or another being wrong. In a diagram, in a graphic, in a presentation.

The effort to change this is usually always very high. You remember the Pareto principle, don't you? That also applies here. 80% is achieved with 20% effort. And "we" always strive for 100% in everything we show.

Graphics, brochures, charts, diagrams, texts, you name it. Because a clever person could come around the corner and say, hey, that's a mistake in your picture.

That's exactly what happened.

And I was the one who said, hey, there's a mistake in your graphic.

Mistakes happen. That's not the point. It's more about producing 80 % in the short term so that you have something instead of achieving 100 %, which is either too time-consuming or cannot be implemented in time.        

So far, all the companies I've worked with have been strived for the 100%. Now I've come across a company that was good with 80%.

The advantage is that they just do it! While other companies would never have published this, they just do it. There aren't so many finger-pointers like me. And you can have a lot of success with 80%.

That's why I started to wonder.

Are we complicating everything? Are we sometimes too precise? Because nobody really looks at everything in the smallest detail. It has been proven that we don't have to read a whole text to understand it.

“Aoccdrnig to rseaerch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a ttoal mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”

And? Everything understood or? But does that also apply to other things that are produced in marketing? I'm still undecided. In the worst case, these are the consequences of inaccuracy.

Presenting incorrect or incomplete information in marketing communication can lead to:

• Misunderstandings about products or services
• Damage to brand reputation
• Loss of customer trust
• Legal claims and penalties

In conclusion, while marketing communication may not always achieve 100% accuracy in practice, the goal should be to strive for the highest level of accuracy and transparency possible. This approach builds trust, enhances brand perception, and helps avoid legal and reputational risks associated with inaccurate or misleading communication.

Hmm... ok, I admit I copied this from a marketing book.

I don't know whether I would rather go for the 100% but leave an opportunity. Or is it a question of timing? Or region?

What if start-ups, in particular, take the risk to pick up speed, while established companies should shy away from the risk because of their reputation?

I like this answer.

Still unsure as me? I would love to hear your opinion on this.

Cheers Bj?rn

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