May 14, 2008...12:24 am
Urgency is Lazy
Deadlines in the news media business are legendary. And real. They’ve always ensured that content (news, especially exclusives) is edited on time and feeds the news hole. A reporter who misses deadline risks:
a) Seeing her/his byline story replaced by wire copy (think outsourced)
b) Disappointing her/his editor and publisher
c) Spending a career on the back pages of the local section, never to see A1
True deadlines are non-negotiable.
What passes for deadlines today in many business environments are “soft” or arbitrary. You’ve seen this: a person — or team — moves a mountain to make the critical “deadline,” only to see things bog down before flaring anew into another urgent deadline.
We lit our hair on fire for what?
Urgency is a word that should only enter your head to make a true deadline. Examples: filing your taxes by April 15, paying your mortgage, showing up for your wedding. Miss a deadline, suffer the consequences.
Lack of planning in the marketing world masquerading as “urgency” does little for the process or result. After re-reading this brilliant post from 37 Signals, I had to jot something down, if just to rant for a moment (sorry).
If you are a marketer awash in urgent deadlines — and silliness that comes with them — be honest. The word is abused by people who have forgotten (or never knew) the meaning.
Urgency in marketing isn’t so much a need to act (drop everything now!), as it is more a reaction by others who believe they must act. Unless you or your group is tied to printed materials like graphics for a trade show booth, collateral for a product launch, or the perfect pitch for that booked analysts tour in New York and Boston, try rational over urgent. Take calm over fear. Deep breaths over adrenaline.
If you can’t live without urgency, maybe it’s time to become a member of the paparzzi. Or a cop. Or a firefighter (a real one). Or a criminal defense lawyer. Or a news reporter chasing scoops.
Urgent in marketing is not a fuel for greatness. Creativity is. Urgent in marketing is usually just a byproduct of something else: lazy.
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