The Customization Catch-22

Once in a while, I encounter one of those "feedback loops" in the marketing/advertising process. These are the little memes of thought that sound good and rational in a meeting, yet in actual execution lead to small inefficiencies at best and huge problems at worst.

The latest is something I call the Customization Catch-22.

The scenario is this: Your company needs to produce some piece of marketing. It could be a trade show booth. It could be a good old-fashioned "sell sheet." It could be a brand-spanking-new website. In the pre-development process, the subject of "customization" comes up. This is usually, but not exclusively, centered on attracting vertical markets. "Let's do something for the financial services types." "Let's show health care companies that we have experience in their space."

That's almost always a good idea. But here's the rub: Often, once you start going down this road, you fall into one of those "focus vs. inclusion" traps that I so love to write about. If you're going to call out technology companies, then why not your higher education experience? Your public sector experience? Retail? Agribusiness?

So you have to call out everything lest you alienate one industry or lose one opportunity. The result: You risk creating the impression that you specialize in everything, which is a logical impossibility. Or you have to create so many separate Powerpoint slides, brochures, etc., that it becomes impossible (and expensive) to manage them all.

I wish I had an easy solution to the Customization Catch-22, but I don't. I think it's more useful to look at it as a symptom rather than a problem. Is it a red flag that your company (and your brand) isn't focused enough? Is it a sign that focusing on vertical markets isn't your best sales strategy in the first place? Is it a wake-up call that you really do need to pick just 3-4 verticals that present the greatest opportunity and not worry about the rest?

Chances are, it's at least one of these. And addressing the bigger picture is the only way to pull yourself out of the Catch-22.