# Why I love complaints

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/07/06/why-i-love-complaints/
- Published: 2011-07-06T18:00:10+01:00
- Author: Kevin Baughen

I love the coverage generated by [Ken Burnett’s comments](http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/FundraisingBulletin/1078363/Campaigns-spark-complaints-says-Ken-Burnett/CAF97CA5B13ADDB6990C825975CC55BE/?DCMP=EMC-CONFundraisingBulletin)
at the Institute of Fundraising Conference about how we should be generating more
complaints!

The point is not, of course, to generate complaints for the sake of it. The point
is that our marketing, campaigning and fundraising messages need to be sufficiently
challenging, compelling and, when appropriate, hard-hitting to attract the attention
of the people they’re aimed at! And more often than not they aren’t. Check out a
few of the masterclasses on the [SOFII](http://www.sofii.org) website and you’ll
see that the seminal campaigns did not usually mince their words.

There are billions of communications floating around in UK society alone so how 
do we honestly expect our messages to achieve any kind of cut through when they 
follow the path of least resistance?

## Advertisement

In my first marketing job I was introduced to our Director and the first thing he
told me was that if he wasn’t “bollocking me” at least twice a year for generating
some negative “flack”, I wasn’t trying hard enough. And he wasn’t joking – he did!

Now of course he, and Ken Burnett weren’t talking about deliberately making huge
mistakes that cause irreparable reputational damage. This[⌊complaining man on the phone - Danilo Rizzuti⌉](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/07/Complaining-man-on-the-phone.jpg)
position is at one extreme end of a spectrum. Unfortunately, at the other end is‘
decision-by-committee’, super-bland, don’t-even-get-noticed marketing messages which
are all too prevalent at a time when we need more impact, not less!

Someone very close to me was almost sacked for managing a direct marketing campaign
which talked very blatantly and factually about breast cancer. One letter of complaint
was sent to the Board and the proverbial s*** storm ensued. Only when some hard 
financials evidencing the success of the campaign were presented to the Board did
people start to calm down.

And I bet some of you see this way too much.

My old director (Mr. Constantine you were a legend) and Ken Burnett are both right
to challenge any status quo if that scenario makes it impossible to succeed. Without
a passionate appetite for challenge and commensurately channelled energy to make
a success of the new, we wouldn’t have Comic Relief, iphones, text giving, seatbelts
or gift-aid.

If you are a leader in any organisation, can I appeal to you to encourage your people
to deliver the kind of activities that are so compelling that they will, on occasion,
put someone’s nose out of joint? Because when you do, they will give you more energy
and more passion in pursuit of your goals and that will filter down to your bottom
line.

   

Thanks to [Danilo Rizutti](http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=851)
for the image

 

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