Last year, we spent $250K on a campaign that everyone loved—except our customers.
The idea was simple: lean into the “future of work” narrative with a sleek, aspirational video series. We hired a top director, got a celebrity voiceover, and even snagged a feature in Fast Company. Our team was *thrilled*.
Then the results came in. Engagement was flat. Conversions were worse. The people who *did* click? Not our buyers. Turns out, while we were busy chasing awards, our customers just wanted a better onboarding flow.
The hard lesson? **No amount of polish fixes a misdiagnosed problem.** We assumed our audience cared about the same things we did—vision, prestige, “disruption.” But they cared about *their* problems: time saved, headaches avoided, real outcomes. We confused *our* excitement for *theirs*.
Now, we start every campaign with one question: *What’s the one thing our customers would miss if we disappeared tomorrow?* Not what’s trendy. Not what’s award-worthy. What’s *useful*.
What’s a campaign you’ve seen that nailed this? (Or one that missed it completely?)