I was just listening to Andrew Neil being interviewed on the paucity of thorough investigative journalism at the moment. “Opinion is cheap; facts are expensive”, he said, in relation to how news organisations are run.
But how true that phrase is when you apply it to marketing planning. Good research, consideration of alternative strategies, the measurement of marketing effectiveness … none of these things come easily.
Too often, people retreat from the difficult bits of marketing – which is where the real paydirt is – and rely on poor research, narrow thinking, slapdash marketing execution … and they don’t get the results they need.
When thinking about your marketing strategy, opinions are cheap. Facts are expensive.