If you’ve been around the branding and marketing world for a spell or two, you’ve mostly likely encountered someone who invoked the old business cliché.

Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick two.

For those who haven’t, the saying suggests that you could a) pick good and fast, but not cheap; b) pick good and cheap, but not fast; or c) pick fast and cheap, but not good.

There was, and remains, a mountain of truth to that statement and its outcomes.

Unfortunately, with the advent of original creative succumbing to stock this, stock that and stock some more — as well as an erosion among many small- to mid-size marketers of the importance of investing in brand excellence and value — the general trend seems to be spiraling.

Good. Fast. Cheap. Pick one.

Be it fast or cheap, brands that opt for one of these choices are ultimately going to sell themselves — not their agency or in-house creative teams — short. Smart and savvy consumers today, and yes they are both, can generally sniff out a fake photo, stock video or clip art illustration as easily as if it carried odor.

Does that mean you can’t make magic with off the shelf creative elements? Great agencies can, and will, and sometimes even take it as a challenge. But that should be an occasional or one-off situation.

However, devaluing your brand willl, in our opinion, make it more challenging for you to sell, profit and bake in brand loyalty.

Make 2024 the year of investing in your quality and value. Good? Better? Best? Pick three. And getting there starts here. See for yourself.

Johnny Sprecher is Founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Outlier Brands, hyper-specialists in hospitality, destinations, attractions, economic development, culinary, entertainment, fitness, recreation and a handful more business to consumer brands. 

If you’ve got a need, we’d love to chat. Just reach out here.