The Fail
In this episode of #FailSmarter, Leander Seidl talks to Reginald Bien-Aimé, a seasoned marketer and business coach. Reginald shares the story of his earliest marketing failure when he was tasked with promoting an English-speaking cello act in French-speaking Geneva. Despite his optimism and marketing plan, the event ended up drawing only a tenth of the audience capacity. This was a crucial failure that helped shape his marketing approach and his career.
The Details
What went wrong…
Reginald outlines several key factors that led to the failure of the event. Firstly, there was a misjudgment of the target audience and a failure to understand the local landscape. The marketing efforts were primarily focused on English-speaking mediums, while ignoring the potential French-speaking audience who could have been interested in the event. This was before the social media era, so the outreach strategies were not as diverse or as flexible as they are today. There was also a lack of a compelling angle to grab the audience’s attention and convince them of the value of the show.
What to learn from it…
This failure taught Reginald a host of lessons that he would carry forward in his career. One of the most significant ones was the need for a customer-centric approach before it even became a widely adopted business principle. The failure underscored the importance of understanding the target audience’s preferences, habits, and the channels they interact with. It also highlighted the value of research and strategy in successful marketing efforts. Even with a good product, the audience needs to be educated and the value proposition must be recognized beyond the marketer’s perception. These insights, gleaned from a painful failure, helped Reginald develop a more refined and effective marketing approach.
Experience this Fail…
In Audio Form
In Video Form
Follow the Marketeer
Réginald on LinkedIn
