When Seeing the Big Picture, Don’t Overlook the Small Details

Have you ever worn glasses? If you’re not a nerd like me, maybe you’ve worn sunglasses a time or two (so much cooler). If you have, it’s possible you’ve made the same observation I’ve made on numerous occasions…

When you’ve got a bit of dust on your lenses, you really don’t notice it all that much. You manage to look past the dust that’s literally RIGHT in front of your face (note the proper use of literally there, by the way). You see the big picture because the little specks of dust and dirt don’t block your big vision.

This is a mistake we make in the marketing world. One way it happens is that we get so caught up in our brilliant idea and “big vision” that we let the dusty little details pile up on our glasses and we never notice them until one of those specks or smudges is so big…so noticeable…that we have no choice but to take off our glasses, wipe them down, and start back over. Whether it’s a detail that exceeds the budget or a guerilla effort that you neglected to fit into the timetable, those smudges suddenly become impossible to ignore and can hinder the progress of an otherwise stellar campaign. And you (and probably your boss) are left wondering why you didn’t see them sooner?

Another way it can happen is with client work. When you first land that new client, your passion and excitement radiate throughout the team or agency. You’ve got a fresh, straight-out-of-the-case pair of glasses and a crystal clear vision of where you want to go with your new client. But, as months and years go by, the dust piles up. Meetings are “postponed” without ever being rescheduled. Instead of brainstorming the next phase of the campaign, you’re told to “just run the January ad again this month.” But none of those specks are big enough to totally impair your vision, so you never really notice them.

Until your client fires off a 10 bullet point email citing your shortcomings and unmet expectations throughout their campaign. Or, in a (usually) worse case, you lose the whole account. It’s only then that you take off the glasses and see the amount of dust you’ve let pile up over the months and years.

This is just a friendly reminder to take off your glasses (or sunglasses), give them a good wipedown, and make sure you’re giving your clients a clean, dust-free effort.

You just may be shocked at how clearly you see things after you do.

How about you? Have you lost sight of the details during a campaign by being too focused on the “big vision?” Do you have clients that deserve a wipedown of your marketing glasses? Have you lost clients because you failed to notice the dust building up on their account? Enlighten us with your thoughts in the comments below or drop us a line on our Facebook page.

Photo (“Through glasses”) c/o Rob Pongsajapan. Thanks Rob!