If all of our marketing ideas were home runs we would be working for an agency on Madison Avenue, but there is evidence that suggests a measurable rate of marketing campaign failures in businesses of all sizes. According to a survey of 1,000 marketers worldwide, respondents estimated that they have blown out an average of 26% of their budgets on ineffective marketing.

Do you remember these epic failures?

• Burger King’s Moldy Whopper Campaign

• Dove’s Real Beauty Body-Shaped Bottles

• Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts for Grown-Ups

It’s ok to fail – and you will. Try something, and let it soak for a bit, if it’s not working, be nimble and humble enough to recognize it’s not working and try something else. In marketing, we should always be slinging something at the proverbial wall.

Test and Track

Keep track of all your campaigns, and measure the results if possible. Once you have a large enough list of marketing campaigns go back and analyze the results, rotate the good ideas throughout the year, and sprinkle in your new ideas. As time progresses you will have a fine-tuned portfolio of campaigns that you can plug and play.