Worth The Effort.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about the benefits of making the extra effort.

I thought of something ironic on my way home from Atlanta last week.

I didn't want to miss my flight after my meeting, so I ran to find my car in the hotel garage to get on my way. I pulled in to top off the gas tank in my rental, as if I were at a pit stop in a NASCAR race. I sped off to the airport, navigated a confusing maze of ramps to drop off the car, then crossed a bridge, walked up and down a few escalators to board a train to the terminals. After a few minutes, the next airport train whooshed in, the doors opened, and a gaggle of travelers with rolling suitcases tried to squeeze out of the railcars, past the herd of people trying to rush their way in.

The doors closed and then, whoosh! We were off.

Once in the train, we flew along the tracks listening to a dozen over-communicating announcements pertaining to the next stop, whether the doors are open or closed, what to do if we observe any unattended luggage, and a continuous reminder about how smoking is not allowed in the train. There were only two seats in the car, which are reserved for seniors or the handicapped. So, the rest of us had to stand. It amazed me how, even though we were so tightly packed in that speeding can like sardines, with little more than one or two inches of personal space, no one ever allowed any part of themselves or their bags to accidentally touch another person.

There wasn't any white space available, yet everyone found something inanimate to look at. A cell phone, their watch, a book, the ceiling, whatever. So long as it wasn't connected to another person, they stared at it. They transfixed their eyes on that spot to double ensure that they were never forced to meet eyes with anyone they didn't know. The car would rock and shimmy back and forth, abruptly speed up, and suddenly jam on the brakes again, and somehow as we pulled into our final destination, my fellow passengers had made it the entire way without making any contact whatsoever—myself included.

I rushed through countless moving sidewalks, weaving my way through the less motivated, and finally reached the security checkpoint. Well before I got to the metal detectors, I put everything I could, including my belt, into my coat pockets, and my laptop was ready to toss into the bins. When it was finally my turn to receive a little dose of radiation, and have my toothbrush, underpants, and other belongings stowed in my suitcase examined, I was eager and more than ready to go. Everything checked out, and then I rushed my way to the gate.

I had made it with a half hour to spare, and now I would wait. I would wait for passengers in need of extra assistance, for first-class passengers, business class passengers, and premium club passengers. I would wait for gold member passengers, as well as passengers wearing members-only jackets. I would wait for zone one passengers, and zone two passengers. I would wait for passengers who got in the wrong line. Then, when finally buzzed in, I would stand in line, waiting on the jet bridge tunnel thing.

Once on the plane, I would wait for people who sat in the wrong seat. I would wait for people struggling to put their giant bag in the overhead storage. I would wait for everything to be approved for takeoff. Once everyone was finally seated, I would wait again while we learned how to use a seat belt and be reminded that the closest exit may be behind me. When the plane began to move, we would taxi around the runways, waiting for our turn to take off. As we finally lifted off the ground, it occurred to me that I had just spent the better part of three hours scrambling, and waiting, rushing, and waiting in order to take a two-hour flight. All that I endured was certainly a lot better than eighteen hours of driving. Right? I think the fastest mode of travel is still well worth the painfully slow effort.

It can be that way in marketing too. It may have been easier to continue driving short-term leads—the way you always have—but the traffic on the ground may slow you down. Sometimes you need to take your program to the next level, and it's time to go BIG! However, you can't reinvent the brand overnight. Something like that can take months of research, planning, building, and creating. If you have the patience to follow the process, as today's fortune says, your campaign will eventually be cleared for takeoff and you'll be on your way!