“Take a chance. It’s the stuff that success is made of. Play it safe and you can bet someone will be out ahead of you all the time; some will get so far in front that you can never hope to catch up.”

I recently took a deep dive into the Angus archives in search of the 1984 “elephant ads.” This bold advertising campaign for the American Angus Association was a topic in an episode of The Angus Conversation podcast with Keith Evans, Association retiree and longtime director of communications and public relations.

In my hunt for information surrounding the ads, I stumbled upon those words Evans penned nearly 30 years ago in a merchandising column for the Angus Journal. 

Three decades later, that’s still solid advice for your Angus operation and marketing program.

Taking a chance and amping up your marketing plan can take your success to the next level. This may be crafting new messaging, setting a marketing budget for the first time, adding digital to your print advertising efforts or updating your brand.

Evans would agree, however, that knowing your customer and fostering those relationships is the foundation to effective marketing.

Working on your marketing strategy might come in at the bottom of your to-do list, and for good reason — managing a herd comes with never-ending work. But the good news is you have your regional managers and my teammates here at Angus Media to help. If you don’t know where to start, or if you want to put those new ideas to work, give them a call.

We also included some tips in this issue to help you get started.

As Evans concluded in that same column, “So when it comes to your advertising, loosen up a little. Don’t worry about making a mistake. Take a chance, especially if it could lead to advertisements that provoke, that interest, that communicate, that make people stop and read or listen, and remember and act. It’s the stuff that successful advertising is made of.”