Revisiting a proven maxim
70.20.10 has been a ‘rule of thumb’ in media circles for decades. 70% of investment directed to proven activity, 20% to ideas channels that show promise and 10% to experimentation with completely different ideas that may just succeed.
We apply the 70.20.10 principle differently, as a brilliantly effective performance system that breaks our delivery down into what works, what scales, and what changes the game. For us, 70.20.10 is simply an innovation driver. It codifies the time we spend developing and applying strategies that are solely aimed at positioning our client for grow, while we attend to and optimise embedded processes that are already proven.
This is not just being an early adopter of technologies that our industry embraces. It’s about leveraging superior market and competitor insights to explore the threats, opportunities, disruptions and ideas that may just create a market clear-space, or even a temporary monopoly for our clients. It could see advancements in service or experience design, brand or product positioning, value promise or even pricing.
It is a circular process that recognises that what is the innovative 10% last quarter, needs to drop down and form part of the 20% of ideas that are tested and scaled this quarter, then assumed as part of the 70% BAU in the third quarter.
70.20.10. applied to build enduring value
The 70.20.10 is a discipline that, working correctly, creates a future-focused partnership in innovation. And because it is consciously applied in parallel to the continuous improvement of established business practice, it ensures invention and innovation happen in a safe place, with risks having been accounted for and minimised, and moats built around the ongoing business success. Value delivery is always an ‘addition’ rather than possibly being a ‘substitute’.
70. OPTIMISE
We begin with an exploration of every element of your marketing ecosystem — media, messaging, creative, conversion, spend — and strip out what’s not delivering. We weaponise your data to make every dollar work harder. This is performance, not just presence.
20: ACCELERATE
We then turbocharge your brand’s performance, creating new potential value through AI-assisted brand tracking, real-time audience profiling, dynamic content systems and synthetic brand health modelling. No lag, no fluff. This is where technology, talent and our thirst for growth collide, and your brand’s competitive position begins to shift.
10: INNOVATE
Based on the same data-driven approach, but augmented by a spirit of entrepreneurialism, we then engage in the co-creation of new ideas, market plays and strategies, secure in the knowledge that many will fail or be unimplementable in the short-term. But some won’t fail. These are the ideas we’ll scale and embed over the coming year or years.
Conscious innovation is hard work, but it can also inspire teams, advance careers, change business landscapes, and some ideas may live on for many years.
That’s a lot more fun than more-of-the-same.
You don’t just need another innovation. Instead, you need a system that ensures innovation and the value it creates.
Welcome to 70.20.10. DPR&Co style.