Post-its (a product I hold very dear to me in my work) was famously developed during the creator’s “15% time,” a program that allows employees to work on projects not directly related to their current responsibilities. Google has a similar program that gave birth to Gmail and Google Earth to name a few.

What if you did the same with your advertising budget? What if you took 15-20% of your budget and devoted it to new marketing avenues to experiment with? So you would run a little bit less TV or radio spots Or you would place a little less print insertions or banner ads. Yes, you’d lose impressions. But consider what you could gain.

You may discover a new way to promote your company that none of your competitors are trying. You may find a new untapped market to reach. You may learn a new way to communicate your message in a fresh and innovative way.

Remember it’s an experiment. So you shouldn’t just throw money at something without a way to measure its success. Go small. Try lots of things. Do it only as long as you need in order to test.

You may just find a new way of marketing your brand that could completely change your company for the better.