Don’t Scorn the Corn

Let Valentine’s Week be a lesson to all marketers: NEVER scorn the corn.

Back in the day when I was working at Hallmark, there was one year when the creative group thought Hallmark should have a fresh, new Valentine’s Day look. 

They wanted to feature purple and orange for the cards and gifts. Poor buggers—they were sick to death of red and pink. They assumed everyone else in the world was as well. 

The research team told them that the customer for this holiday is more traditional, and the proposed color palette change could go very, very badly. But the “purple and orange” creatives persisted, and valentine sales fell harder than a poached rhino that year.

For the creative team (and marketers like me), it was a great reminder to listen to your researchers. They're the ones listening to your audience! 

Learn how your company can make the most of research, no matter the budget, in Midsize.