How to Decide if a Marketing Idea Is Worth Doing

Use my DRIVE™ checklist to see if you should...

A few years ago, I was working as a freelance marketing consultant for a regional demolition company when the Barbie movie was everywhere.

Pink was unavoidable. Every brand seemed to be jumping on the trend.

The marketing manager came to me with an idea:

"What if we turned our sustainability manager into AI-generated Ken?"

From a creative point of view, it was a fun idea.

From a marketing point of view?

Absolutely not.

The company's customers were construction firms, developers, local authorities and commercial clients looking for safe, compliant demolition services. They weren't choosing a demolition contractor because they'd seen a Barbie-inspired social media post.

Could it have generated a few likes?

Probably.

Would it have helped the business attract the right customers?

No.

Instead, we focused on content that showcased major demolition projects, environmental performance, safety credentials and the expertise that actually influenced buying decisions.

At exactly the same time, another Norfolk business approached the trend very differently.

Jarrolds embraced Barbie brilliantly. Rather than forcing the trend, they created content showing a miniature Barbie shopping her way around the department store. It felt playful, creative and completely aligned with their brand and their predominantly female retail audience.

The difference wasn't creativity.

It was relevance.

One business asked, "How can we join the trend?"

The other asked, "Does this make sense for our customers?"

Those are two very different questions.

And they're exactly why I developed the DRIVE Checklist™. Which you can use too.

Every week I see businesses chasing marketing ideas simply because they're trending.

A viral TikTok.

A funny meme.

An AI-generated image.

A trending sound.

A challenge.

The question isn't whether it might get attention. The question is whether it's the right marketing decision. Marketing isn't about creating more content.

It's about making better decisions.

Should we be doing it in the first place?

That's where DRIVE comes in.

Rather than asking whether something might get attention, DRIVE asks whether it deserves a place in your marketing strategy.

The DRIVE Philosophy

The DRIVE Checklist™ is a decision-making philosophy.

Every marketing activity should earn its place by passing six simple tests.

D – Direction

Does this move the business in the direction we're trying to go?

Too much marketing is reactive.

Businesses copy competitors, jump on trends or post because they feel they should.

Instead, every activity should support a clear business objective. If it doesn't move you towards your destination, why are you doing it?

R – Relevance

Is this genuinely relevant to the people you're trying to reach?

Your customers don't buy because something is trending.

They buy because you solve a problem, answer a question or help them achieve something they value.

Relevance will always outperform popularity.

I – Integrity

Does this feel authentic to who you are?

Trust is built through consistency.

If a campaign feels forced, out of character or designed purely to chase engagement, your audience will usually recognise it.

The best marketing strengthens credibility rather than borrowing someone else's personality.

V – Value

Who benefits?

Every marketing activity should create value.

That might mean educating customers.

Building trust.

Generating enquiries.

Retaining existing clients.

Strengthening your reputation.

Likes alone aren't value.

Vanity metrics don't pay invoices.

E – Evaluation

How will we know whether this worked?

Marketing decisions shouldn't end when you press "Publish".

The final question should always be:

What does success look like?

If you don't define success before you start, you'll never know whether the decision was worthwhile.

DRIVE in Practice

Imagine that demolition company had gone ahead with the AI Ken campaign.

It may have received a few hundred likes.

But let's run it through DRIVE.

Direction? It didn't support the company's strategic positioning as a trusted demolition specialist.

Relevance? Construction buyers weren't looking for Barbie content.

Integrity? It felt more like following a trend than demonstrating expertise.

Value? It generated entertainment but little commercial value.

Evaluation? What would success even have looked like? Likes? Shares? Neither would necessarily result in enquiries.

Now compare that with Jarrolds.

The same trend.

A completely different audience.

A completely different outcome.

DRIVE doesn't say don't follow trends.

It asks whether following that trend is the right decision for your business.

Better Marketing Begins With Better Decisions

At the heart of The Marketing Shift™ is a simple belief:

Marketing is the process of attracting, retaining and adding value to the right customers.

Everything else is secondary.

That's why I believe the future of marketing isn't about producing more content.

It's about making better decisions.

Every campaign.

Every advert.

Every social media post.

Every event.

Every sponsorship.

Every pound you invest.

Before asking, "Will this perform well?"

Ask yourself something far more important:

Does it pass the DRIVE Checklist™?

Because the businesses that succeed over the long term won't be those that chase every opportunity.

They'll be the ones with the confidence to choose the right opportunities.

That's what DRIVE is really about.

Not driving more marketing.

Driving better marketing decisions.