Consumers In the Driver's Seat

Today’s consumers are connected and empowered, more knowledgeable than ever about brands and what they "promise."  Think of these 10 tips as the Best Practices that drive all of your efforts.
1.   Just because you can make it, doesn’t mean consumers will want it – make sure your product aligns with a profitable consumer demand.
2.   Don’t over-engineer the product, the package, the brand, or the idea – simple is better.
3.   Strategy drives execution, execution does not drive strategy – just because it’s a cool idea does not mean it’s right for your brand.
4.   Know your category and segments.  If it's technology, it must do what it promises, be friendly and execute with ease.
5.   Know your consumers. Respect your consumers. They sign your paycheck.
6.   Change for the sake of change is not good – leaving a mark is as much about what you don’t change as what you do change.
7.   Tell your agency what you want to achieve not how to achieve it – that’s their job.
8.   More is not better, better is better – make what you do as good as it can be, a lot of disparate disconnected activities offer less impact than one big idea brilliantly executed.
9.    Beware of fads posing as trends.
10.  Acknowledge, analyze and understand failures – they are an important learning lesson, perhaps even more so than success.