Collateral success

We’ve all heard the phrase “collateral damage” but do you really understand what it means? Collateral damage is the unintentional and incidental damage to an intended outcome. In other words, an ill consequence to what seemed to be a good idea. In the world of advertising, it’s no secret the sums of money poured into the 30-second commercials that air during the Superbowl. You can imagine the anticipation when the viewers’ polls are published the next morning as to which ads were most successful.

Companies, both large and small, like to see a return on their investment. No one wants what they thought was a brilliant idea to fall flat on their intended audience for fear of appearing “out of touch.” As your unkanny designer, I’m committed to avoiding collateral damage and creating collateral success.