Archive for category Brand Messaging
Targeted Brand Messaging: A Great Example
Posted by Mike Paffenback in Brand Messaging on October 25, 2010
The 2007 movie “Knocked Up” was on cable the other night. During a commercial break, an ad came on for Trojan® Fire & Ice® condoms. The ad itself may not have been all that remarkable, but the placement within this particular movie was. So, too, is Trojan’s slogan for this product: “You Can’t Wait To Get It On.” Brilliant line for this product, and for an ad running during this movie.
I can’t think of a better marriage of product, message, and delivery context. Well done.
If only all product-messaging-delivery touchpoints could work this seamlessly.
Brand Communications: Exactly What Is It?
Posted by Mike Paffenback in Brand Identity, Brand Messaging, Brand Touchpoints on October 5, 2010
For years I referred to what I did for a living as “Marketing Communications.” That is, communications activities that specifically supported the marketing efforts of a client’s product or service.
But experience has led me to a more evolved perspective. And it’s based on the larger view that ”brand,” or more specifically “Brand Identity,” plays a central role in a company’s ability to sell more of their stuff.
The brand identity is the strategic platform developed to define what the brand stands for, what its value is to customers and prospects, and the decisive differences and advantages over competitive offerings. (Do you have one for each of your brands?) At its core, this should remain constant for the individual products or services that will be marketed under the brand identity.
Now comes the communications part, and there’s two primary areas to consider here: content and contact.
Content is what you say. It’s the messaging that comes directly out of the brand identity. It conveys why the product or service is better, different, of value, etc. The content should be consistently delivered and reinforced in the next part of the equation, contact.
Contact is what you do. It’s the various brand touchpoints — those significant and seemingly insignificant interactions or ways folks engage with the brand. It could be sales pitches, advertising, social media, trade shows, the receptionist, invoices, delivery personnel, community goodwill, sponsorships, public relations, packaging, etc. Each and every contact should be carefully considered, ensuring the desired content is delivered as prescribed in the brand identity.
Collectively, it’s ”Brand-Centric Communications.” But that’s too mind-numbing to say. Let’s just leave it at “Brand Communications.”
Your Audience Will Only Catch One Brand Message
Posted by Mike Paffenback in Brand Messaging on August 9, 2010
An ad agency creative director friend of mine shares the story of participating in a client meeting for an important new brand launch. Like many clients, this one had many equally important selling points they insisted needed to be communicated to their audiences.
My friend sat quietly taking notes as the discussion continued around him. When the subject turned to creative execution of the brand messaging platform, he grabbed an armload of ping pong balls — perhaps a dozen, each of which he had been quietly noting with one of the selling points that had been discussed – and gently lobbed the entire armload to the client to catch.
The client caught one ball with one message noted. And he was lucky to catch any at all given the sudden deluge.
Completing the metaphor, my friend suggested that today’s far flung marketing world requires a client focus on one singular message, reinforced time and again in all brand touch points. Because realistically, audiences will only catch and hold onto one message about the brand that’s tossed to them.
And, though I wasn’t there to confirm, it’s unlikely the ball caught by the client represented the single above-all-most-important message the client would have chosen to communicate. No doubt, the client would have agreed it a more controlled practice to cull the balls down to the primary message desired, and then toss only that ball out for the audience to catch.
You, too, have many things that need to be said about your brand. Culling it down to the one most important ball isn’t easy, but it’s the way to ensure your audiences catch what you want them to.
I’ve written before about brand positioning and value proposition – two elements of a brand platform that provide focus for your brand messaging and a standard for how you deliver your brand touch points to reinforce that messaging focus. Nail these and you’ll be in the game in no time.