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Businesses urged to keep the marketing tap running

September, 2020

Maxim’s Andrew Metcalf takes us into his bathroom to explain how businesses can get their marketing activity right.

An analogy that holds water – literally – is comparing marketing to running a bath.

When running a bath, you’re best keeping a close eye on the temperature and getting the level right – the same applies to PR and marketing. Too full or too hot and it’s uncomfortable, you’re wasting energy and you have to wait before getting in and enjoying it.

You also wouldn’t turn off the taps for a bath that’s just right only to walk away and leave it for half an hour because if you did you’d return to find it at best lukewarm. The only solution if you still want a bath is to then drain some of the water, put the plug back in and start refilling to get back to the appropriate temperature.

Money down the drain

All you will have done is throw your money down the drain by wasting your initial water, having to use more hot before you can relax in the bath. The same applies to marketing: turning it off means your initial investment quickly goes off the boil, then requiring more of your time and energy to get it right again. 

During the Covid-19 lockdown some businesses ratcheted up their marketing as part of a concerted effort to boost awareness of their work, to get ahead of the game and be best placed for the restart.

But many more businesses switched off much of their marketing. While locking down on costs was, and continues to be, a natural reaction in a crisis, I would argue it is now time for them to start turning the taps on again.

While you might not have the budget for a luxurious deep marketing bath, the key is still having a regular but shallower dip, or even a quick shower.

So don’t throw in the towel and turn the marketing tap off, keep calm and carry on, because we all know some of the best eureka moments come when relaxing in a bath.

And remember, if you don’t want to run your own marketing bath then find someone you can trust to do it for you.

Andrew Metcalf - Director

Andrew Metcalf

Maxim / Managing Director

posted in: advice, marketing,

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