ATD – A way of life, not a temporary condition

ATD = Attention to detail.

Myself and the breadknife took our kids to Eurodisney earlier this year and unsurprisingly when you have a 2 year old and a 5 year old, we had a fantastic time (it was for them… honest!!!).

As our 4 days in the parks ticked by, a running joke started between Vicki and I. I call it a joke but I guess you could really call it a mutual appreciation. Perhaps it’s the creative in me, I don’t know, but I was completely struck by how absolutely nothing was left to chance when it came to the small details that made that place and our experiences memorable. OK, I know it’s Disney and they have had a few years practice but I take my hat off to them. They had it nailed. Their ‘attention to detail’ on EVERYTHING, blew me away. So much so that as the days passed, we would jump on the next ride or take a walk through the next themed street and just look at eachother with a knowing glance and a nod, repeating the letters ‘ATD’.

Now, Disney do have the luxury of an established and powerful marketing machine behind them but they do ensure their marketing tools are equally good. Their ‘ATD’ is continued, watched and well managed. I think its fair to say this is reflected in their success. You kinda know what you’re going to get because they’ve set the standard.

This week I have been looking through a new clients portfolio of existing collateral and it was the ‘little mistakes’ that lept out at me, prompting me to think of good ol’ Disney and the importance of establishing that level of continuity, especially if the product is of particularly high value.

The direction I’m going with this is quite simple. If you have a product or service that you are proud of and in the process of marketing, dont let the small things escape your quality control. Make sure you apply the same ‘attention to detail’ to their promotion as you do to the service level or quality of product you deliver. As customers, its often not the bigger things we spot, its the small details.

Amazingly I see it very often with creative marketing. There will be the odd orphan or widow. A paragraph break will be inconsistent with another. Column measures will be wide and/or awkward or it’ll be a case of a very straightforward typo (or two). All these seemingly little ‘bits’ devalue your proposition. Like it nor not, if you are asking someone to part with their hard earned money they want reassurance that the quality seen in the marketing is also reflected in the product or service, and vice versa.

I guess it translates onto everything really. Dont underestimate the value of good paper stocks and quality finishes for your print. Dont undercut yourself when good web content could be the difference between being found in Google (or not) and making that sale. When you deliver your brand value, and I don’t just mean a logo or business card, is it supported by the way you answer the phone and the coffee you offer your customer?

It may seem like ‘just the small things’ when looking at the bigger business picture, but ‘attention to detail’… good old ATD (delivered with a knowing nod)… can be the difference between a potential customer getting the feeling they might be better off buying elsewhere, or them being hook, line and sinker with you, making that all important sale.