MAXIMAL OR MARGINAL?

In 2003 Dave Brailsford took over at British cycling

His ambition was to turn them into the best cycling team in the world

Working with finely tuned elite athletes

There wasn’t much room for improvement

So he introduced the radical theory of marginal gains

Tiny optimisations that when grouped together could make a big difference

He changed how his riders washed their hands

He bought them new pillows

Repainted the walls of the bike garages

In a sport where the margins of victory are milliseconds

This was a brilliant idea

And it was a glorious success

The GB cycling team won 60% of all gold medals at the 2008 Olympics

And topped the medal table again in 2012

Marginal gains theory became hugely popular


It was fashionable in businesses and agencies

I thought about it again recently when I bought a bike

And started cycling with a group

One of the group started shaving his legs

He said it would improve his speed

He was thinking about marginal gains 


But he was also ignoring the major gains

Strengthening his legs

Losing weight

Eating properly

I think the same thing happens in agencies

We can be distracted by the marginal gains

The new channel

The messaging tweak

The tactical idea

At the expense of major gains

Consistency of offer, distinctive assets, simple associations

Marginal gains are an ‘if everything else is perfect’ strategy

Brilliant for an elite cycling team

But most businesses are closer to a middle aged man in Lycra

There are major gains to be made before worrying about the marginals