Why Does Rotman Keep Doing That?

“What the Rotman School is doing may be the most important thing happening in managment education today,” – Peter F. Drucker (1910-2005)

This quote from the celebrated Dr. Drucker headlines the copy the Rotman School of Management uses to promote their magazine. You can get a free issue here. They keep using this ad and this quote over and over. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen it, as I read my monthly issue of Fast Company or Inc, and I had begun to wonder why they keep on using it and using it and using it. Then, I did an Aggie High-Five (that’s where you slap yourself in the forehead) and I got it! I felt so dumb because not only should I know this as a marketing professional, I even train other marketing professionals and entrepreneurs to do this! Heck, I’ve even BLOGGED about it! Click here and here to see for yourself!

They’re doing it because it WORKS!!! And if something WORKS, marketing-wise, we keep using it and profiting from it! After all, if we continue to get returns on something that has already paid for itself, we’re getting what our accounting friends call “return on assets” (ROA), which is what a powerful brand will do for us!

Sergio Zyman said it in his classic, The End of Marketing As We Know It, and it is one of the best marketing lessons we can apply: You change a campaign only when it stops working! It’s OK to THINK about changing a campaign all the time, in fact, we should be constantly thinking “Then what?”, but we should stop using a campaign only when it consistently stops getting us a worthwhile return.

So good for you, Rotman! Maybe I should subscribe!

P.S. – Thanks to all of you who’ve sent congratulations for our BLOG’s nomination in this year’s 2008 Okie Blog Awards! Thanks especially for clicking HERE and voting!