I believe in the old “40/40/20” rule of direct response marketing which states that 40% of the performance of a campaign is dependent on the the list, 40% on the offer, and 20% on everything else. I’ve proven it to myself in the breach when I made mistakes at list order or selection, or got the offer wrong.

You can also think of it as the “Three Rights” which you must do correctly to for successful digital performance marketing campaigns. If it helps, think of them as another Triumvirate. These are your Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Don’t get any of them wrong or “Et tu, Brute?”

The Digital Advertising “Three Rights”

Right Person – Right Site – Right Ad

The sequence is important. Start with the person you want to reach, not a proxy in an “audience.” Name, address, and physical location matter. Then decide where you’re going to show the ad. Again, location matters. You don’t see Tiffany ads in the rest rooms at truck stops along I-95, and you don’t see co-marketing promotions with Mercedes-Benz for CB radios.

Finally, “right ad” refers to the combination of offer, copy, and creative (in that order!) that catches the prospect’s eye and gets them to buy. Mess up any of the Three Rights in your campaigns, particularly your digital efforts, and you’ll see poor performance.

Takeaway: Use the Three Rights when you plan and execute your campaigns. Also use this format when you post-mortem* your campaigns. And win.

*You do debrief after every campaign, right? If not, use the Afterburner STEALTH debrief to do it correctly in only twenty minutes.