Seth Godin has written about this topic more than once before. One of the worse things you can do when you market is not delivering on what you promised. The customer will never forget! What happened to my son’s high school symphonic band this week is a good example.
The high school symphonic band that my son plays for is really good. I’m not just saying this because I am a father of one of the members. They are always invited to the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Assoc. (MICCA) competition and have won Gold three years in a row. The gold medal winners get the reward of playing a special concert at Boston’s famed Symphony Hall. This is the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. What a great treat for the winners. MICCA calls the event Stars at Symphony Showcase. Even though my son’s school won, they will not be playing this year because the concert schedule filled up before they won. MICCA knew how many gold medals they were going to hand out but didn’t provide enough slots at Symphony Hall. MICCA does offer to have bands play at another concert hall but the size of our high school band is too big to play in the smaller venue. Plus, you can’t compare the experience.
When you market your show or event you need to review all marketing and advertising claims, offers, and prizes before you actually start the campaign. Sit down with all parties that will be involved in the fulfillment. Can you deliver? Think about worse case issues and have the solution before the campaign starts. It is always better to make smaller promises and over deliver on them.
Creditability is your biggest asset.
Event & Entertainment Marketing Blog 