Don’t Be Afraid of Failure!

A message to everyone working in a marketing related field - expect to fail.  Why?  Because if you do not fail, you will not learn and will become complacent.  Companies and people need to embrace this notion.

Here is a quick case study on how expecting to fail can lead to success…

In the early ’90s, the BBC was getting killed in the market by the competition, funding was being cut, staff were leaving for bigger and better opportunities, and the near future was very grim.  Enter a new CEO with a pioneering spirit who created a “Gambling Fund”.  No, this did not mean creating a bunch of successful Texas Hold ‘em players, but a fund that would only be given to projects that were destined to fail.  In a time where budgets were short, they recognized that they first had to fail to become a success and focused financial effort to do just this.

Guess what came from it?  Only the biggest hit in BBC history, now a world-wide phenomenon, and one of my favorites:

Catch a clip or two here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/

Creativity week is almost here and we will have another opportunity to rejoice around our mistakes, I’m looking forward to it.