1. Thinking a Redesign Is a Growth Fix-All
When GAP launched a logo redesign in 2010, backlash was so severe that they reverted to their old logo within a week, losing millions. Their mistake? Focusing on aesthetics without addressing deeper brand and operational challenges.
Fix it: Audit your eCommerce infrastructure. If your site is slow or checkout is clunky, a redesign won’t solve those problems. Instead, prioritize technical fixes and a clear hypothesis for your redesign.
2. Blindly Copying Competitors
Just because a competitor’s ad campaign uses bold humor doesn’t mean it will resonate with your audience. Pepsi’s attempt to mimic Coke’s “Share a Coke” campaign with emoji bottles fell flat. It lacked the same emotional connection.
Fix it: Use competitor analysis as inspiration, not a template. Apply first principles thinking and validate ideas with your own data.
3. Over-Leaning on Rented Channels
Relying solely on SEM and paid social can backfire. Research shows that organic social posts generate 22% higher engagement, while paid content often feels transactional.
Fix it: Balance your rented channels with owned and earned tactics, such as email lists, virality, and word of mouth.
4. Over-Testing to Paralysis
Startups with low traffic often get stuck waiting for A/B tests to reach statistical significance. Build a testing playbook to prioritize big feature-rich tests, iterative tests, optimizations, and adopt-and-go elements. Don’t wait for perfection.
5. Stop With the Micro-Optimizations
Research from CXL shows that button color tests rarely improve conversion rates by more than 1%. Micro-optimizations won’t save a broken funnel. Aim for step-function improvements like launching new product features or testing bold claims.
6. Forgetting There’s R&D in Marketing
Airbnb’s marketing R&D led to innovations like user-generated travel guides, creating a 200% increase in engagement during early campaigns. Dedicate 10-20% of resources to exploring new tactics.
7. Forgetting That Marketing Is About People
Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign connected with audiences on an emotional level, leading to a 4x increase in brand value over a decade. Build a messaging framework that prioritizes emotion over transactions.
8. Always Have a Succession Plan
Coca-Cola tests ideas with a clear lifecycle: if a flavor or campaign underperforms, they have a plan to pivot or kill it quickly. Treat your campaigns like a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
9. Ignoring Quantitative and Qualitative Feedback
A McKinsey report found that companies using customer feedback loops grow revenue by 10-15% faster than their peers. Build systems to gather both quantitative data (metrics) and qualitative feedback (customer interviews, surveys).
10. Forgetting It’s a Short and Long Game
Amazon’s short-term focus on free shipping drove conversions, but their long-term investment in Prime built loyalty and LTV. Balance short-term campaigns with long-term brand building.
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