Marketing in the Morgue: Dissecting Failed Campaigns

​As you know, in our marketing industry, there's a pretty intense fear of failure. We’re scrutinized heavily as a cost center and the stain of being an expense puts almost every marketer I know a little on edge every day. Even in the best of circumstances, where organizations actually understand the role of marketing, and you can draw direct lines back to revenue thanks to marketing activity, there’s always a lingering worry that we’re not doing enough. 

​​It can sometimes suck the joy out of our job. It can make taking risks and trying new things difficult. It can make a failed campaign seem catastrophic. 

What we sometimes forget is that failure isn't the end of the line; it's a stepping stone to progress. 

Where the Project Post-Mortem Meets the Campaign Autopsy

After most campaigns (win or lose), organizations often advocate for something we *cough* fondly *cough* called the "campaign post-mortem meeting." The campaign post-mortem is where optimism meets introspection and sometimes just a leeeeetle criticism. But, here me out, before you schedule the dreaded post-mortem for a campaign with complicated or even downright disappointing results, consider rolling up your sleeves and performing what I like to call a "campaign autopsy."

The campaign autopsy is the art and science of dissecting the art and science of marketing. It's an opportunity to peel back the layers of your campaign and reveal what is under the marketing epidermis and get to the muscle and sinew of performance that lies beneath. When taking a look at the campaign with critical eyes, don’t just look at what went wrong, you also get to look at what you learned and how you can apply those learnings going forward. 

In this blog, we'll move through the stages of our campaign autopsy, from external examination to internal assessment (following the footsteps of a real autopsy!), each step bringing us closer to understanding what went awry, what we can learn, how we can course-correct. I also cover what might be the most important thing, communicating the results and learnings to stakeholders in a way that helps you run these meetings with the confidence of an experienced pathologist.

Step 1: The External Examination - Is my marketing campaign dead?

Before we break out the black armbands and start composing a eulogy for our dearly departed campaign, let's give it one last once-over to make sure it's truly ready to join the marketing graveyard. Imagine yourself in a sterile room, hesitant to make the first cut, hoping that your subject will spring to life. See yourself squinting thoughtfully in search of any signs of life that might still be clinging on for dear existence.

Well, if you're hoping for a miracle, then you might just need to think through a few considerations that could jolt it back to life. Let's explore: 

Is your marketing campaign dead, or just resting?

It’s possible that it’s not quite dead yet. It just needs to be resuscitated and treated with a new approach to live its best life. Here are a few things to consider trying before calling for the time of death:

1. Do we have enough data? Have we given our campaign the patience it deserves, or have we declared its demise prematurely, like an overanxious fortune-teller? It's good to consider two main things: have we had enough data flow through the program and do we have a benchmark for what we expect for a campaign like this? What were the expectations? Check your assumptions before burying the corpse.
2. What are the campaign metrics saying to you?  Dive into the data depths—bounce rates, click-through rates, conversion rates—all must undergo the scrutiny of a particularly skeptical scientist. Are the CTRs good but the conversions bad? Are the bounce rates high, but site traffic is improved? Use this as a guide to create a plan for the type of zap that even Frankenstein might appreciate. 
3. Are we talking to the right people? Too often, we try to market to too many audience members at the same time. Focus in on the most lucrative or strategic audiences and retest the campaign concept. Or maybe our message is hitting the mark with the hipsters when it should be charming the baby boomers, or vice versa. Check with a trusted resource to make sure the campaign is hitting the nail on the coffin.
4. Is there a strong distribution strategy? Is our distribution strategy as impenetrable as a medieval fortress, or as fragile as a house of cards in a hurricane? It's time to scrutinize how we're getting our message out there—are we reaching our audience through the right channels, at the right times, with the right message? Do we need to add any paid options to help bolster the existing distribution channels.

By subjecting our campaign to this rigorous external examination, we can distinguish between a true demise and a mere hiccup in its lifespan. But... what if it's really dead? What do you do then? It's time to cut open the subject and see what makes it tick. 
​

Step 2: The Internal Examination - My marketing campaign is dead. Cause? Unknown

If your campaign has indeed shuffled off its mortal coil, it's time to roll up our sleeves and perform some marketing surgery. But before we start wielding scalpels like overenthusiastic technicians, let's pause and ponder a few crucial questions to help see how to keep the next campaign from being a corpse.

Dissect the campaign, prepare for next time

As you explore the potential pitfalls that your campaign suffered through the process, use these questions as a guide to get to the heart of the matter. 

• Was our timing right? Whether it’s seasonality, or a geo-political event, sometimes timing is off. If your prospects are deep into delivering for clients during tax season, hustling to help package up goods for the holiday rush, or deep into employee reviews, you might not be able to hit the mark no matter how good your campaign is. While some of these things you can avoid by being aware of what is happening, others are unpredictable. Geo-political events, for instance, are unpredictable and must be taken on a case-by-case basis. Even the best laid campaigns might not survive if you’re facing a serious world event.
  
  What can you do for next time? Map out important seasonal events for your key prospects and plan around them. Have a OMGWTF plan for unexpected events to either pivot or pause campaigns so that efforts are completely wasted.
  
  
• Was the content valuable, useful and relevant? Ask yourself, “is our content capturing attention or inducing eye-rolls?” Take a good, hard look at the remains of blog posts, social media updates, and email newsletters. Is our storytelling as captivating as an Edgar Allen Poe novel or are you trying to make watching paint dry exciting? 
  
  What can you do for next time? This is a great time to reimagine the content with a new approach that will better resonate with your audience. Do you have a “friendly” in your client list? I recommend running key pieces of content by them and see if they can give you some guidance on whether or not the content was actually helpful to them. In addition, look at old content types and see what has performed well in the past for the key audiences you’re trying to reach.
  
  
• Are you using the right channels for the right audience? Channel choice is the ultimate test for whether or not you understand your audience. It’s the culmination of empathy, message and delivery method. Scrutinize the efficacy of your chosen marketing channels—are we where our audience expects us to be, or have we taken a wrong turn and ended up in the digital equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle?
  
  What can you do for next time? This is a great time to employ one of my favorite fractions: the 80/20 rule. Often when I come into an organization, I’m working with some groundwork that’s already laid. So, when creating a new campaign I plan to distribute the budget across the channels that work (80%) and I experiment with the remaining budget (20%) to make sure that we’re learning and growing.
  
  
• Were there any internal blockers? Campaigns fail for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes budgets get cut halfway through the campaign or you get buy-in from internal resources and they aren't able to execute on their key pieces. Regardless of the reason, they can be a real bummer when it comes to performance.
  
  What can you do for next time? Continue to advocate internally to open doors and create better relationships. Make sure to document every blocker thoroughly so you can report on the challenges to ensure that you don’t end up shouldering the blame for something out of your control. 

The bad news? It's dead. The good news? There is so much to learn from campaigns that go sideways. If we were actually doing an autopsy, the next stage would be to investigate questionable parts of the body and look at it under the microscope. I'm delighted to share we don't have to go to those icky lengths, but we do need to document our learnings. Let's talk about that next. 

Step 3: Preserve and Document - What can we do better on our next campaign?

Now that we've dissected the remains of our failed campaign and gleaned valuable insights, it's time to forge a path forward—a path paved with the lessons learned and the wisdom gained from our autopsy. But how do we ensure that we don't stumble over the same pitfalls in our future endeavors? How do we turn our failures into stepping stones for success?

One approach is to distill our learnings into actionable steps—a checklist, if you will—that serves as a guide for future campaigns. This checklist could encompass various aspects of campaign planning and execution, from audience targeting to messaging to timing and distribution.

​For example, we might create rules or guidelines for audience segmentation, ensuring that we're targeting the right demographics with the right message. We could establish benchmarks for engagement metrics, setting clear goals for click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key performance indicators.

Similarly, we might develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of our distribution channels, identifying which channels yield the highest return on investment and which are better left untouched. By establishing rules and direction based on our autopsy findings, we can ensure that each campaign is better than the last, building upon our successes and learning from our failures.

Sample Marketing Campaign Autopsy Checklist

Here's an example of a checklist that a marketer could use based on the insights gained from a failed campaign autopsy:

• Define Clear Objectives
  • Example: In the failed campaign, the objectives were vague and lacked specificity, making it difficult to measure success. For instance, instead of setting a clear goal such as "Increase website traffic by 20%," the objective was simply stated as "Improve brand awareness."
  • Clearly outline the goals and objectives of the campaign, including specific targets for metrics such as engagement, conversion, and ROI.
• Audience Segmentation
  • Example: The campaign failed to effectively segment the target audience, resulting in generic messaging that failed to resonate with different demographics. For instance, the same message was sent to both millennials and baby boomers, despite their vastly different interests and preferences.
  • Conduct thorough research to identify target audience segments based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
  • Develop tailored messaging and content for each audience segment to maximize relevance and engagement.
• Content Quality and Relevance
  • Example: The content produced for the campaign failed to provide value to the audience. For example, blog posts were too value and lacked depth, leading to low engagement and high bounce rates.
  • Ensure that all content is high-quality, engaging, and relevant to the target audience.
  • Avoid generic messaging and focus on addressing specific pain points or needs of the audience.
  • Don’t advertise your company on your blog unless it’s in the form of a customer story. No one cares about what you offer. They want to know what is in it for them in a format that resonates. 
• Timing and Frequency
  • Example: The campaign messages were sent at inappropriate times or with excessive frequency, leading to audience fatigue and disengagement. For example, emails were sent out late at night when the audience was unlikely to be receptive, resulting in high unsubscribe rates.
  • Consider the timing and frequency of campaign messaging to optimize reach and engagement.
  • Avoid bombarding the audience with too many messages too frequently, as it may lead to fatigue and disengagement.
• Distribution Channels
  • Example: The campaign relied heavily on one or two distribution channels when the target audience has historically needed 4-5 channels to convert. For example, the majority of the budget was allocated to social media ads, and PPC despite the audience preferring to also consume expert content and consume testimonials.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of different distribution channels (e.g., social media, email marketing, PPC ads) based on past performance and audience preferences.
  • Allocate budget and resources to channels that have proven to yield the highest ROI and engagement. Leave a small budget to experiment.
  • Map the customer journey. How do your customers consume information? How many touches do they need before they turn to customers?
• Monitoring and Optimization
  • Example: The campaign lacked robust tracking and monitoring mechanisms, making it difficult to identify issues and make timely adjustments. For instance, there was no system in place to track key metrics such as click-through rates or conversion rates, resulting in missed opportunities for optimization.
  • Implement robust tracking and monitoring mechanisms to measure the performance of the campaign in real-time.
  • Continuously analyze metrics and KPIs to identify areas for improvement and optimization.
  • Be prepared to make adjustments to the campaign strategy and tactics based on ongoing performance data.
• Post-Campaign Analysis
  • Example: After the campaign ended, there was no comprehensive analysis conducted to review its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. For example, there was no documentation of lessons learned or insights gained from the campaign, making it difficult to inform future strategies.
  • Conduct a thorough post-campaign analysis to review the overall effectiveness of the campaign and identify key learnings.
  • Document successes, failures, and areas for improvement to inform future campaigns.

​Ultimately, the goal is to create a framework that allows us to continuously iterate and improve, refining our strategies with each new campaign. By applying the insights gained from our autopsy, we can chart a course toward greater success, armed with the knowledge that failure is not the end but merely a stepping stone on the path to greatness.

Moving on After the Marketing Campaign Autopsy

In closing, let's remember that in the dynamic landscape of marketing, experimentation is not just encouraged—it's essential. With the rapid evolution of new channels, shifting consumer behavior, and ever-changing product and service offerings, it's imperative that organizations adopt a mindset of continuous innovation and exploration. And yes, experimentation inevitably comes with its fair share of failures.

But rather than viewing failure as a setback, let's reframe it as a vital step on the path to success. By embracing failure as a catalyst for learning and growth, we empower ourselves to push the boundaries of what's possible, to uncover new opportunities, and to chart bold new paths forward. So let's dare to dream, let's dare to experiment, and let's dare to fail—because it's through failure that we ultimately find our greatest triumphs.

Don't let a bad campaign get you down.

Need help building a creative and successful campaign? 

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