Kevin Kelly is the football coach of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has changed the way the game is played. He’s done it by looking at the numbers. And focusing on the big picture. He thinks in averages, not individual outcomes.

He’s found that if his team punts the ball, he is only decreasing the other team’s likelihood to score by 15%. So his team doesn’t punt. They go for it. He likes those odds better.

He’s found that the difference in the opposing team’s starting field position between an onside kick and a regular kick off is fourteen yards. So his team’s kickoffs are always onside. He’d rather give up those yards to have a chance to recover the ball. He likes those odds better.

An added bonus? Not only do the numbers make sense for him, but it forces the competition to change the way they play. And, oh by the way, he’s won three state championships in the last nine years.

Using the data to buck conventional wisdom. To make your own rules. To force others to react. Those are the types of lessons marketers could use more of.

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Having ten good ideas takes less time than crafting a great one.

Writing an email takes less time than communicating an actual point.

Telling someone how to do something takes less time than teaching them why.

Getting it done takes less time than getting it done right.

Thomas Friedman wrote a great piece in the New York Times this week called Average Is Over. But average is often what we’re asked for – find an answer, write an email, get it done.

Want to invest in making sure you stand out? Value your time.

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Starting is hard. It’s hard because if you haven’t done it, you won’t know what it’s going to take. Or where it’s going to lead.

A case in point comes from the eMarketer webinar I attended earlier this week – “Measuring Social Media Success.” 39% of worldwide retailers don’t measure social media marketing.

I’ve not talked to those 39%, but I would bet they haven’t started because they don’t know the right way.

Here’s the secret: There isn’t one way.

Now, there is a right way for your company. But your organization’s culture, available resources, strategic vision and short-term goals – among other things – must all be considered. And the only way to figure out that “right way?” It’s simple. Start.

Prototyping isn’t just for products. It can be used for research methodologies. For ideas. And even for processes. Processes like “Measuring Social Media Success.”

Start by being clear on goals and objectives. Start by articulating the right questions. And then start figuring out the right answers from there.

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But be honest – Have you ever turned to a thesaurus to choose words that are more complex to give the impression that the content is more valid or intelligent? Nearly two-thirds of Stanford undergraduate students answered – admitted? – “yes.”

Using new or interesting, formal or complex language can make you feel smarter. But does it make you seem smarter to others? A study in Applied Cognitive Psychology suggests no.

“Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly” makes the case the simpler writing is better writing. Simpler writing is judged as more true. It’s judged as more confident. It’s even liked more.

The lesson is simple. Want your writing to be liked more? Don’t just mean what you say. Just say what you mean.

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It’s a new year. A new beginning. A fresh start.

Start simple.

Simple demands a premium price.

Simple builds loyalty.

Simple creates clarity.

Simple encourages authority.

Simple facilitates buy-in.

Simple cuts through clutter.

Simple sparks action.

And, yes, simple can move mountains.

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From messaging to product design, brands that add value are the ones that have the most enviable relationships with their customers. Brands that simplify the experience are the ones that engender loyalty. Brands that pay attention to both their look and their feel are the ones we’ll feel good about without knowing why.

Sure, you can cut a little here and a little there. And you should. But doing so won’t get you introduced to people who have no idea you exist. It certainly won’t get you re-considered by those who have written you off. It might not even change the way your current customers think, much less behave. Clearly defined value can get the attention that can get you all three.

Finding efficiencies can make your sales funnel more efficient. And that’s important. But adding value can change your funnel. Fundamentally. And for the better.

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We are faced with choices on how best to tell stories on a daily basis. Often times, the decision comes down to “do we / can we trust the audience?” Can we trust them to be smart enough? Engaged enough? Responsible enough?

I was reminded of this the other night as I read How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was the first time I had read it in, likely, twenty-five years. And you know what? [Spoiler Alert!] Despite the promise of the title, The Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas. He can’t. That’s the point of the story. Here’s how the book ends:

And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he… HE HIMSELF… !
The Grinch carved the roast beast.

The story ends with The Grinch carving the roast beast at the Who’s Christmas dinner.

When run through a committee, the story would have been called “The Unsteal-able Holiday.” Or “How The Grinch Couldn’t Steal Christmas.” Or, maybe most palatable, at least in hindsight, “How Christmas Saved The Grinch.”

But it wasn’t run through a committee. Or made into a literal translation. It was told by someone who believed strongly enough that this was the exact right way to tell it. And that people not only could get, they would get it. The good Doctor Seuss used a title that was, in reality, the opposite of what the story was about.

And the story has been told and retold ever since.

Happy Holidays.

Do businesses use 10% of their brain? It’s a question worth considering.

As I wrote two weeks ago, Data Is A Numbers Game. And as businesses capture more and more data, they need to be careful they aren’t just using a smaller and smaller percentage of it. Remember, 60% of respondents to a MIT study responded that their “organization has more data than it knows how to use effectively.”

So, what are the steps towards tracking your tracking? They aren’t complicated.

Take an inventory. What tools do you have at your disposal? Ask your co-workers / team members what tools they’re using, too. The demands for your attention have increased. You might be surprised at what you’ve actually forgotten.

Prioritize. What questions you are able to answer with those tools? Which matter most to your success? Call the tools that provide these critical answers your business’ “Brain.”

Be honest. How effectively are you are using your Brain? How much attention do you pay to it? How often do you access its insight? As often as appropriate? Or, maybe, sadly, less so?

Make a new year’s resolution to boost your Brain’s power. Feed it. Grow it. And make sure you are paying it its due attention.

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People pay attention.

To pay is to give. For work done or goods received. Brands can’t forget this.

If people pay attention – to your message, to your brand – what are they going to get? What value will they receive?

And will they be willing to pay their attention again?

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There is a tipping point with data where too much makes it hard to focus on what actually is important. And with 60% of respondents in a MIT Sloan Management Review survey agreeing that their organization has “more data than it knows how to use effectively,” our New Normal has tipped.

What to do? Start by tracking your tracking. We measure in order to optimize. What we measure deserves that same attention. Regular audits should consider whether what you’re measuring matters. Don’t just ask “what do we know?” Ask “what do we care?”

Too little data and you’re uninformed. But too much poses its own problems. Data is, itself, a numbers game.

Interested in more stuff I find interesting? Follow me @casey_flanagan on Twitter.