During the Second World War, a small watch company was the first to put an ad on a new, unproven advertising medium. The watchmaker Bulova paid $4 for a placement on New York station WNBT before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. The 10-second spot displayed a picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States, accompanied by the voice-over “America runs on Bulova time.”

Today Citizen Bulova is the largest watchmaker in the world. Of course, we’re not suggesting that being the first company to advertise on TV vaulted Bulova into this lofty position. The point is that the company embraced and demonstrated its commitment to innovation and risk from its very early days. At the time TV was an unknown new medium that required the advertiser to give up a lot of control. Actors and presenters where now speaking for their products and brands. They could not cut out and hold these ads as proof they existed. However, like social media today, these courageous advertisers were able to connected with their audience through a fresh and exiting medium that made them more relevant to their potential customers.

Advertisers should be continually looking for new ways to connect with their customers. The most effective media plans include the proven, the ‘I think it works’ and the wildly optimistic. Social media is likely one of the last two, but you’ll only ever know if your business will reach its full potential if you keep swinging for the fences.

Collaboration is a huge part of what we do. And creative minds don't always think alike. But that's what keeps things interesting around here. This post was written in cooperation by members of the Trampoline Branding staff.