Lately, those of us who hang our boots on the fence at the OK-To-Peel-The-Onion Corral have been waxing on and on about the essential value of less versus more in marketing and advertising. To which you might think, “I’ll get right on that, just as soon as I untangle the double-triple-overhand-hitch-half-full-Gordian-knot that’s item 1 of the 200 on today’s to-do list…Maybe tomorrow.”

Well, if it (whatever “it” is) was easy, they (whoever “they” are) wouldn’t need folks like us. But since they do, now might be a good time to talk about ways to cut through all the complexity while getting more bang for the proverbial: 

1. Simplify strategy. By capitalizing on ways to plot a sharply focused, buttoned up, and entirely executable roadmap (see last week’s “Onward and Simpler-ward” post for a suggestion). Do bear in mind that simple doesn’t substitute for smart. As urban legend would have it, Mr. Webster’s original dictionary featured the word “clever” in his definition of strategy— “a clever way to achieve an objective.” True or not, “if it’s not clever, it’s not strategic,” has a certain charm.

2. Streamline the process. Not to cast shade on persuasion professionals, but somehow our industry— yes you, ad agencies—has managed to make the engine too damned complicated. Are there alternatives that offer both capability and confidence? How about mission-specific teams that have just the right mix of skills, experience and tools, and not a drop more?

3. Creative clarity. Here’s a fun neuropsychological fact: brands work because they’re mental simplifiers—giving your customer a no fuss, muss or brain-bothering way to shorthand how they think and feel about your offering. That being the case at the apex of the perceptual pyramid, it stands to reason that clarity is the sine qua non of efficacy. Ditto for interest and memorability. Clarity is unforgettable.

4. Get analytics and accountability to act together. Thanks to the fiendish convergence of audience and media fragmentation; a sales funnel reduced to data shards and pernicious privacy considerations this may be the most stubborn hairball of all. But it’s not insoluble and, between the use of more projective audience insight tools and the rise of wholistic measurement options (a la Nielsen One), we might soon end the madness in our method.  Stay tuned.

So, sure, it’s all a case of easier said than done in the context of day-to-day complexity.  But maybe this is an opportunity to take the wisdom of noted influencer A. Einstein, when he said, “everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler.”  Do that and, in my opinion, the result will be this: