The Lost Art of Asking "Why?"

Marketing is the easiest place to get caught up into trend chasing. We want our brands and clients to be in the center of the most talked about thing at the time. We want them to appear "innovative" in the space.

To do that, we get them to post something first to keep up those appearances. It may not be the best thing or the most strategic - but by God they were first.

Sometimes, the act of trying to stay ahead gains unnecessary priority over strategic thinking. This most recent ad from Adobe Marketing Cloud exploits that trap that can be all to easy to fall into.

Before jumping on the next big thing, ask yourself why. What can this thing do for you that nothing else has been able to do for you before now?

Why do we need to invest in ______?

How could _____ improve our sales?

How could ______ make our customers happier?

How could it make our donors feel more connected to our mission by using ______?

If the answer to "why?" is "because it's the next big thing," your brand may have problems that the next big thing isn't going to solve.