It came up yet again in a recent leadership meeting at the agency.

One of our Directors joked that in advertising – patience is a virtue. It’s just like real life, and that long-shared saying applies to the marketing world too.

Just about the time people are realizing your company has a campaign running or are sharing some messaging, too many owners and decision makers are ready to pull the plug and say “advertising doesn’t work.” It kills me. No, really, it honestly kills my spirit when ignorant people jump the gun on their outreach advertising campaigns.

Over the past 13 years, it has happened so many times I cannot even count. Smart people, successful entrepreneurs, heads of non-profits, and medical professionals get impatient or are initially disappointed and pull the plug on their campaigns.

The decision to end a specific campaign often happens as advertising and marketing work is starting to make its impact.

Though It Feels Like4ever – Hold the Line

For a moment, think about the power of investing in the stock market (even these days). I remember my Dad writing down every stock value every day for decades so he could track for himself how those investments were performing. He had years of daily journals in his office, but he knew that the value of his portfolio was not a day-to-day thing.

Smart investors know the power of buying stocks is the value increases over months, years, and honestly, even decades. That’s how the impact is measured and why so many people are able to build wealth and retire more comfortably.

If I can remember a plumber’s number from Philadelphia that I heard on WPVI or KYW-TV in the 1970s (Greenwood-7-5-3-1-2), then as a business owner, you simply have to know it’s a “long game.” Obviously, I don’t need a plumber from Philly now, but the concept remains the same…good advertising requires interrupting messaging, smart placement, and patience.

When marketers combine those three things, they can capture new buyers still, but the true value is in the coming months, years, and, yes, decades. Practice patience advertising people.

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