Last Saturday was the second time in National Hockey League history to see all thirty teams engaged in action. At the first glance, a feast for fans. More likely, in scheduling the maximum possible number of games on a single day the League ignored a basic principle of ice hockey: Less is more.
A common point commentators make when things are not going well for a team is that the players are trying to do too much, trying to hard to do everything right and then some. Yet performing a few basic moves throughout the game goes a longer way to scoring success. Put the puck on the net (or, Shoot early, shoot often). Go to the net for rebounds. Keep opponents to the outside. Keep your head up and stick on the ice. Play the body, not the puck. Protect the puck…
Parallels with the principles of sustainable marketing abound. Build a narrow niche (as opposed to being all things to all people), and serve it well. Forgo reaching the many with your messages for cultivating deep relationships with the few (one million eyeballs vs. one hundred hearts). Select a handful of effective strategies and apply them consistently over time to reach marketing critical mass. Avoid confusing the customer with too many messages in favor of a sustained and consistent campaign. What’s more, “Less is more” is just a different way of expressing the “reduce” rule of sustainability.
Research on the drawbacks of multitasking is unequivocal: doing more than one thing at a time results in not doing anything optimally. The next NHL day saw zero games.
Update: Read this post on how too much choice undermines marketing.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Terrific parallel.
Sustainable word of mouth that consists of authentic participation IS scalable. It’s the net effect of truly effective engagement. Foster meaningful relationships and let your brand advocates become brand messengers / evangelists.
Convincing tradition to, “stop protecting the puck,” is essential to the success of that strategy.
Hey Peter -
Less is more, but sometimes more “more” produces more “less.” An example – information overload is problem facing most workers in the knowledge economy, but more content creation actual can provide better results.
So, yes I agree, but would say disguised simplicity is effective. Users who desire more and have a higher tolerance for distraction have the ability to satiate their hunger.
Andy Angelos