Your agency comes to you and says they have a campaign that is “out of the box!” “attention grabbing!” Great! That’s what you want — right?

Maybe not.

The answer depends on your brand strategy. In an atmosphere where web links serve not to provide good content but to get you to click (an actual tactic called “clickbait”) and single Tweets can make tomorrow’s front-page headlines, losing sight of authentic content can happen all to easily. That’s why I preach brand strategy. If, for example, your brand stands for integrity and is (or hopes to be) a cultural icon, your creative campaigns should reflect those standards and reject gimmicks. If your brand wants to position itself as humble, then a campaign that mimics those of a used-car salesmen doesn’t make sense. People won’t associate you with humility.

Remember the old adage that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.