Carolyn Hansen |
on August 24, 2009 |
category: creative |
“Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. So, what do you think about me?”
That’s my favorite line from the movie Beaches. I honestly don’t remember much else about it.
This line encapsulates why good marketing is so hard to create. We know so much about the product. And the process we use to make the product. And the brand personality we want the product to embody. And on and on and on.
It all goes in the creative brief – along with the supporting documentation, the previous ads, all the competitors’ ads, etc. We pull it all together. Give it to an Art Director and Copywriter. And they may come up with something brilliant.
Then we all get a little nervous. This brilliance may not have enough hard information to get someone to buy. Oops – we forgot to mention one of the features. Oh dear – the logo may not be big enough. Is the copy truly “compelling?” (That word used in a critique is always a creativity-stopper, in my experience.)
It’s very hard to remember that our ad shouldn’t be about our product. It should be about our target and what she is interested in. She shouldn’t have to work to figure out why this is for her. That’s what we mean by relevant advertising.
It helps to be able to take a step back and get some perspective.
If an ad is all about the product, we need enough of a sense of humor to realize we’re asking the target to tell us what she thinks about us, rather than saying, “Let’s talk about you.”
Comments:
8/28/2009 at 11:12 a.m.
Demographics and brand marketing
I haven't seen the research you mention -- but it sounds fascinating. Do Boomers and GenY purchase fewer branded products in comparison? (I'm guessing 90% of what I buy is branded almost by default.) Off the top of my head, as a direct marketer, I'd say it's usually best not to focus on a group that's less likely to buy your product. A person's age is less important than that person's propensity to buy your product. So, if Boomers are buyers and GenY isn't, aim your messaging at the Boomers. If that isn't practical -- if your product is something only a college student would buy -- I'd recommend testing a variety of creative approaches to see what works. If there's any way to get your product in their hands -- so they can appreciate those high production values (sampling? money-back guarantee? first month free?), I'd test that kind of idea first.
>>Carolyn, Seattle
Big differences across demos, too.
I agree, Carolyn, that as marketers we really do tend to talk about our clients' products as though our audience can be defined by the brands they choose and the products they buy. I would just add that the rejection of this mindset is greater among the younger cohorts: GenY is more resistant to materialism than GenX, which is more cynical than Boomers. One paradox runs through the research I've read, though: while GenY really hates product-centered advertising, they are very conscious of production values and tend to buy brands: 90% of their purchases are of branded products. Any ideas on how to approach GenY audiences more effectively with those conflicting issues in mind?
>>Owen Richard Kindig, Seattle WA
