Marketing and Mountains! Karin Carruthers from Scream Blue Murder has just completed her latest mountain challenge!
She has likened it to creating a marketing campaign! You can either do it the easy way using just one media, up the ante with a more targeted approach or create a multi-layered, multi-touchpoint marketing campaign that truly engages with your customers and gets you results!
Four goals, not one
This time, the goal was to climb Snowdon three different ways – via Watkins Path (down Rhyd Ddu path), via the Pyg Track (down Llanberis) and finally up South Path (down Snowdon Rangers Path). When planning this trip, Karin didn’t want to ‘settle’ for climbing Snowdon just once as she had already completed this earlier in the year. Instead, she wanted to be challenged physically and mentally and ‘push hard.’
Postponed until next year, due to Covid, Karin and her climbing buddies were due to climb Kilimanjaro this year as part of an eight-day climb. However, to allow them to continue fine-tuning their climbing skills, they decided the alternative was to climb Snowdon.
In fact, this challenge would cover 80% of the Kilimanjaro distance but over three days instead of eight. So, it was a more demanding, more gruelling challenge, and all who are aged 50 years + (and we’re being kind!) were keen to see how their ageing joints faired.
Karin’s personal goals were:
- To have no blisters!
- To climb all three ways, navigating up and down successfully
- To become more accustomed to walking and climbing at height as she has a fear of heights
- To become more familiar with and use the right walking equipment
The 360° View
Getting to the top on day one, Karin had the most fantastic view.
She says: ‘Being at the top of a mountain, you have perspective. You can see what you have achieved and how you have achieved it. It’s the same for any marketing campaign. Set goals, track your progress and collect results (data) at the end. How else will you know if you have succeeded if you can’t see where you started, how far you have come and your finishing point?’
‘Every day, I have had to overcome my fear of heights, but like with everything else (including your marketing!), the more you do something, the more familiar it gets, becoming less of a big thing. It becomes more manageable, and you get better at it.’
Mountains or Marketing – a time to review
In Karin’s own words, here are her thoughts of what worked well, what didn’t go to plan and what she’s learnt for the next time!
- What worked well
- The right kit – making sure I was correctly prepared with the right equipment for the climb, taking extra sets of clothing in case of changes.
- Preparation – training for this event has meant training for six months in all weathers!
- Blisters – no blisters at all this time! After three blisters on the last walk, I have changed the way I look after my feet!
- Map reading – becoming more skilled at OS map planning and routing, knowing whether you are on the right path or have deviated too far, coming up with an alternative if you have!
- What didn’t go so well
- The weather – this is beyond our control! However, we all needed to be adaptable, changing plans at short notice and, most of all being flexible. So watch out for the unexpected.
- What have I learnt for next time?
- Team effort – it takes every member of the team to be successful. Everyone has different strengths and knowledge, and it’s about tapping into these fully.
- ALWAYS have a sense of humour when things are not going according to plan.
- Never, never give up (Rule 10 from Taming Tigers – Jim Lawless).
Like with any marketing campaign – we review, and we learn for next time. We understand what we need to start, stop, and continue to improve the next marketing campaign.
Taming Tigers
The author of this book is Jim Lawless. Karin listened to Jim as a keynote speaker at an Action Coach conference. She immediately liked him; his style and his 10 Rules resonated with her.
Karin says, ‘If you want to be the best version of yourself, then this book is for you. If you lack confidence, need encouragement, or have personal challenges and need a goal, this book is perfect. It has helped me stretch myself and achieve my goals. Jim is a great example of someone who has done it, is down to earth, positive and has a great sense of humour. As a result, I now continually change my benchmarks and alter my perception of what I can achieve.’
The 10 Rules
- Act Boldly Today – Time is limited!
- Decide to challenge yourself, don’t dither; otherwise, you won’t do it.
- Rewrite your rulebook. Challenge it hourly.
- If you need to change a plan, look for the changes early, don’t wait, look how you can better it every step of the way.
- Head in the direction of where you want to arrive, every day.
- Know where you want to get to and plan to move in that direction all the time.
- It’s all in the mind.
- You may have a fear of heights, but it’s all in the mind, and you can overcome your fears.
- The tools for taming tigers are all around you.
- Having the right kit – the maps, compass, torches, and clothing will help you succeed.
- There is no safety in numbers.
- Sometimes you must climb by yourself; only you can hang onto rocks and not people.
- Do something scary every day.
- Push yourself to take the road less travelled.
- Understand and control your time to create change.
- Take your time, consider where you need to, and speed up things that don’t present a risk.
- Create Disciplines – Do the basics brilliantly!
- Breathe! Breathe slowly and deeply to control your nerves. Then, plan your routes, check your kit.
- Never, never give up.
- Even when the shit looks like it is hitting the fan, have faith and never never never give up!
We don’t whisper your story. We Scream Blue Murder.
A design and marketing communications agency.