The great debate: Activity vs. results

The age-old marketing question: Should we prioritize activity or results? It’s been the topic of heated discussions in boardrooms and around water coolers for as long as anyone can remember, and people have some pretty strong opinions on this one.

In pursuit of activity

In the activity corner, we’ve got the folks who believe that consistent effort is the secret sauce to long-term success. They’ll tell you that in fields like marketing and sales, where the payoff isn’t always immediate, you’ve got to put in the work first. Build that brand, nurture those relationships, optimize those processes — the results will follow.

They’ve got a point. We’ve all seen companies get so caught up in the pursuit of quick wins that they make impulsive decisions, cut corners and completely lose sight of the big picture. It’s not pretty.

But let’s remember the words of Michael Porter, known to some as the father of the modern strategy field. He said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” In other words, being strategic isn’t just about what you do; it’s also about what you have the guts to say no to. It’s about making tough calls and trade-offs to focus on what matters. Companies that get too caught up chasing those shiny, short-term wins? They’re running in circles, wasting time, effort and money and burning out their people because they never make the hard choices.

Now, the activity-first crowd can sometimes take it too far. I’ve been there — getting so caught up in the daily grind that I lost sight of the end goal. I’ve seen organizations waste countless hours on pointless tasks, endless meetings and creating dashboards, apps, content, etc., that no one looks at or cares about. But were they moving the needle? Making a real difference? More often than not, the answer was a big, fat “nope.”

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Chasing results

That’s where the results-driven crew comes in. They argue that activity does nothing if it doesn’t produce concrete outcomes. They want to see the hard evidence that all this effort boosts sales, increases revenue and makes customers happier. And in today’s uber-data-obsessed business landscape, they’ve got a point. You need to connect your actions to measurable results to prove your strategies are working.

Porter’s value chain analysis highlights this idea. It’s all about looking at each activity and how it contributes to overall performance. By doing this, companies can identify which efforts are driving results and which ones are just fluff. This targeted approach helps ensure that every action is aligned with achieving a sustainable competitive advantage.

But be careful — the results-at-all-costs mentality has its own set of traps. When every decision is judged solely by its immediate bottom-line impact, it can create a toxic vibe. Creativity and experimentation go out the window, replaced by a short-term focus that sacrifices long-term growth. And that doesn’t even consider what it does to company culture. When everyone is obsessed with their own metrics, collaboration falls apart. Teams become disconnected, working towards individual goals rather than a shared vision.

So, how do you walk this tightrope between activity and results without falling flat on your face? Two words:

Middle. Ground.

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Balancing activity and results for marketing success

The key is finding that sweet spot in the middle. The best leaders know how to blend meaningful activity with measurable outcomes. They understand that strategic, consistent effort fuels results but know that results are the ultimate measure of success.

When you nail that balance, the impact is transformative.

It’s not a cakewalk, but it’s worth the effort. By setting crystal-clear goals, keeping the lines of communication wide open and using hard data (and, OK, a little of your gut) to track progress and guide decisions, you can create a powerful cycle where activity and results feed off each other, moving the entire organization forward.

The future will increasingly emphasize data analytics and AI in monitoring and negotiating the activity-results paradox. Predictive analytics could offer subtle insights into how certain activities translate into long-term results, helping encourage more strategic decision-making. As technology continues to evolve at a blistering pace, leaders who can effectively leverage these tools while maintaining balance will be best positioned for success.

So, stay focused on that middle ground and keep aiming for that elusive balance. When you find it, the magic will happen.

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