“We’re having a sales campaign in the fall.” “The public relations campaign generated a lot of buzz for us.” “Let’s launch the new product with an aggressive marketing campaign.” Okay, so what the heck is a campaign anyway?
In the sales, marketing, and PR worlds, a campaign is simply a special effort to accomplish a specific goal. That might be to increase sales for a particular gizmo, introduce a new brand of chewing gum to bubble-blowing enthusiasts, or get users of a software product to upgrade to the latest version.
Campaigns typically have a set beginning and end, and they usually fall outside the normal day-to-day activities of a sales, marketing, or PR department. It’s extra work.
Here’s an example: You’re a copywriter for the marketing department of a travel company. Your everyday responsibilities might include writing Web site copy, e-mails to prospects and customers, destination brochures, and more. Then, your marketing manager announces, “The Christmas holiday period is coming fast. Let’s do a promotion to motivate our customers to book their vacations early. We’ll offer discounts and a chance to win a special mystery prize. We’ll use e-mail and direct mail as our communications channels.” Welcome to a new campaign!
Campaigns can be exciting to work on. But that’s not the only payoff. A successful campaign can really be a feather in your cap; something you can take pride in and add to your resume and credentials. “I wrote the copy for the Gizmo Plus ad campaign that successfully increased market share by 22 percent.” That’s a career milestone worth bragging about.