When “Good Enough” Isn’t Enough
When Results Feel Respectable But Something Feels Off
A few months ago, my friend Sarah - who leads campaigns for a well-known national retail chain - caught up with me over coffee. She’d just wrapped a major out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign and, while the results were respectable, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite clicking.
Sign 1: Campaigns Deliver Just Enough - But Don’t Break Through
The first sign was a recurring one: campaigns were delivering just enough without ever breaking through. Sarah explained that although her agency’s work was technically sound, it rarely pushed creative boundaries or sparked that “stop and look” moment her competitors were achieving.
Sign 2: Competitive Positioning Starts to Slip
The second sign was more subtle - a shift in how her brand was positioned against competitors. The OOH placements were in prime, high-traffic retail locations, but when seen alongside rival campaigns, hers no longer felt as distinctive. It was a sign the agency’s approach had plateaued, even if the execution still ticked all the right boxes.
Sign 3: Growing In-House Adaptation Indicates a Problem
The third sign was a noticeable increase in in-house tweaks. Sarah’s team had begun reworking layouts, adjusting headlines, and even sourcing alternative imagery to make campaigns feel more on-brand. It wasn’t about poor oversight - it was simply that her internal team now had a sharper instinct for what would resonate than the vendor they were paying to deliver it.
Fresh Perspectives Lead to Renewed Energy
Sarah knew she couldn’t risk a second campaign that failed to hit the mark. When she mentioned she was thinking of finding a new creative partner, I offered to introduce her to a couple of agencies I knew who had produced bold, high-impact OOH campaigns for other national brands. She was relieved - she could explore fresh perspectives quickly, without the cost or delay of using a formal search and selection firm.
A month later, she sent me a quick thank-you. The new campaign was already underway, and she sounded energised by the creative direction.
Sometimes, it’s not a crisis that signals the need for change. It’s the quiet accumulation of small signs - and the realisation that a fresh approach could unlock something the old one can’t.
