Pop quiz: What are the three most powerful letters in the alphabet?
Answer: W-H-Y
Think about it. “Why?” has the potential to change everything.
- Why would someone watch (and share) the video we’re about to produce?
- Why would we want a Pinterest page?
- Why are we printing these brochures?
- Why are people buying my products/services?
- Why aren’t they?
“Why?” keeps you from going through the motions. It makes you look at your work with a fresh perspective (and, remember, that perspective should be your audience’s view, not your personal one). It sharpens your marketing efforts and hones the effectiveness of each tactic before it’s implemented.
But “Why?” can also drive you crazy. Just as the incessant “Why? Why? Why?” of a three-year-old can make a person run screaming from the room, too much questioning can be counterproductive.
So save your “Why?”s for the things that matter. Those moments usually come when you’re starting something new or evaluating the results of a campaign. But don’t forget to ask yourself “Why?” when you’re executing some of your basic, ongoing marketing strategies. Those can often be the most transformative “Why?”s to your campaigns because they reveal areas where your tactics have grown stale and failed to keep pace with what your audience expects.
So why are you doing whatever it is that you’re doing today?
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.
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