Unicast

Are you a list maker? I’ve moved from a day planner stuffed with multiple of slips of paper and post-its to the notes feature in my iPhone. I have a master list on my computer for all my lists…and this is just for my personal life! It always surprises me when I come across a business’ banner, website or email with apparent and easily fixable errors. Does your business have a checklist that must be reviewed before something is out-the-door or live? If not, how are you ensuring that every project is being reviewed thoroughly every time?

Based on my experience, here are a few recommendations that I’m sure can help you deliver a successful execution of any kind, whether it’s an email blast or a Rich Media Ad:

§         Start by getting people to put their knowledge on paper

§         Organize it for effectiveness

§         Constantly revise

§         Finally, ensure the workflow process makes these quality assurance checklists a mandatory step

On October 22nd 2009, we launched Microsoft’s International Windows 7 campaign on the MSN homepage across 24 countries. The creative concept consisted of two synchronized banners, a 300x250 and a 728x90, for a total 48 placements that went live in each country at approximately 12am.

It was one of the most unique campaign’s we had worked on to date because it required that we launch ads every hour on the hour around the clock. In addition, we had to convert one piece of creative to fit each market by translating the copy into 18 different languages. We successfully translated text and completed localization in less then 48 hours.

Although a campaign that is required to launch in over 20 countries may seem daunting at first, we knew that by keeping the lines of communication open close to 24 hours a day and 7 days a week we could ensure that this campaign was managed as efficiently and smoothly as possible. By working closely with the MSN team – we held daily meetings to review details and discuss the progress of the campaign and on the day of the campaign launch we had an open bridge call available 24 hours - we were able to resolve any issues that arose almost instantly and provide MSN with a daily and often hourly report on the status of our efforts.

I commend the dedication of all of the parties involved. For any campaign, no matter how big or small, working with a team of people that devotes their expertise to the project at hand and can easily exchange ideas and accurately perform tasks quickly is the key to its success.