Have you ever been in a position where someone more senior than you has a really strong opinion on a campaign you are running, a branding decision or a piece of copy that you know to be wrong? Avinash Kaushik coined the term HiPPO for this, or Highest Paid Person’s Opinion, which can, at best, make concrete decisions really difficult and, at worst, derail whole campaigns and strategies.
I’ve had a few HiPPO moments throughout all stages of my career, in fact I’ve been guilty of instigating a few myself when I’ve been a stressed-out founder or CMO. People don’t do it on purpose. Humans have a tendency to lean on cognitive biases, or shortcuts in the brain, in order to help with planning and decision making. One aspect of HiPPO-ing is to do with the authority bias, which means going along with the person who has the most power. I would argue there is something else going on when it happens to marketing decisions. Senior executives who have HiPPO moments with marketers are likely using an availability heuristic to make the best decision with the information they have to hand. They’ve seen ads, used Google and received promotional emails personally, so they think they understand the job in hand and want to see the kind of marketing that would connect with them the most. When I’ve been guilty of it, it’s because I’ve found an idea personally attention grabbing, and of course that’s what we’re looking for as marketers. That didn’t stop me being wrong.
You only have one way out of this situation where everyone leaves happy and better educated. That is, ask the customer.
The CEO wants a font change? Draw up three versions and user-test them. Your boss doesn’t know why you are advertising in a certain location? Use your customer and prospect data to explain why the choice is right. Whole campaigns can, and should be road-tested to give them best chance of success once live. This approach will not only diffuse the situation, but it will make you a better marketer and your business will thrive. As much as their opinion isn’t valid, neither is yours. Without data and research, you’d be as guilty as they are if you just pushed your agenda.
Your marketing activity is then designed and planned to appeal to desired audience - your customer - and not the tastes of the board room. Campaigns will perform better and on seeing the results maybe HiPPOS can be extinct for good.
[I feel guilty about that last joke and so have donated to this hippo conservation charity. Link below for you to do the same!]