Copy and Steal Everything November 13, 2009 by iowaadguy Mark Mathis

There is an organization for colleges called CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education).  It is equally well-known as “Copy And Steal Everything,” because after the CASE awards and conferences, most ideas are ‘lifted.’  If students did this they would receive an F; if businesses and organizations copy, it is called ‘best practices.’

Too many times we are quick to copy others when it comes to marketing.  We see a competitor doing something and we are fast to follow.  The problem is that many times we don’t know the underlying strategy behind the marketing decision.  

I saw this firsthand when I made a visit to the Des Moines airport.  On the airport walls were seven colleges advertising on back-lit Duratrans.  As I looked around, I didn’t see one prospective teenager within a mile of the advertising messages.

It looked like they were advertising to each other — not to a target audience .  On the surface, it looks like a bad college media buy for the money.  But I’m sure each institution of higher learning points out that the competition is there so they need to be there.  This thinking fills a lot of media outlets.  Follow your marketing strategy, don’t play follow the leader with your marketing money — the “leader” may not have sound reasoning behind the media buy or idea.