| Making advertising effective is more difficult today | | | | learn to ask and find answers to these questions: |
| than ever before. To get TV viewers to give a | | | | What do they believe to be true about |
| precious second of their attention to a commercial | | | | themselves? What do they believe to be true |
| message is beyond daunting - it's nearly | | | | about the world in general?Consider laundry soap. |
| impossible. A commercial that fails to entertain, | | | | We live in an efficient, competitive epoch of |
| therefore, has very little chance of tearing a | | | | commodity products where a soap powder that |
| viewer away from a myriad of other | | | | has made it into the marketplace is assumed to |
| distractions.Remote controls have made it too | | | | be effective. If it is for sale, "it works." The |
| easy to surf around commercials. And the new | | | | problem is that there is a Grand Canyon between |
| TiVo technology, which enables viewers to record | | | | a customer's favored product choice and all the |
| favorite programs with commercials automatically | | | | others in a category, and this attachment to a |
| edited out, presents a truly frightening prospect | | | | particular product has nothing to do with |
| for our advertising industry. The question we | | | | effectiveness. The products that become part of |
| must ask of advertising is: How do we craft | | | | a consumer's life do so because the consumer |
| marketing strategies and creative brand | | | | feels an emotional pull towards those |
| messages that prompt viewers to voluntarily | | | | products.Why has Tide remained the market |
| surrender their attention to watching a | | | | leader? Does everyone who uses Cheer wear |
| commercial? We might also put it this way: How | | | | only color clothes (Cheer has positioned itself as |
| do we get customers to care?The importance of | | | | color safe), and do Tide users wear only white |
| that question cannot be understated. It is vastly | | | | shirts to take advantage of the bleach in Tide? If |
| different and quite superior to the question: "What | | | | the effectiveness of advertising were truly based |
| do we tell the customer?" It brings about a more | | | | on specific advantages of products, then all of us |
| effective answer because "caring" is an emotional | | | | would keep at least two brands of laundry soap |
| response. A consumer simply hearing some facts | | | | on the shelf: Tide for white clothes, Cheer for |
| (if we can even get them to listen to those | | | | color clothes. Soap brand managers must believe |
| facts) is not as engaged. Great advertising must | | | | Tide users don't care whether color clothes fade. |
| prompt people to care rather than simply | | | | Uh-huh.Tide has remained on top of the laundry |
| understand a list of product attributes. Yet a | | | | heap because there is an emotional connection to |
| great deal of advertising today is merely | | | | the brand message that extends way back to its |
| factual.For the most part, marketing departments | | | | emergence as part of the American cultural |
| have believed that they need a quantifiable | | | | landscape. Even consumers born in the eighties |
| product advantage in order to convince a potential | | | | find comfort in the familiarity of the brand, and it's |
| customer to switch brands. They ask themselves | | | | not about heritage and habit as much as it is |
| why the customer should care, and yet they | | | | about family and family values. How much are |
| answer this emotional question with a rational | | | | consumers willing to pay for this feeling of |
| benefit. Hmmm.Most of us have no understanding | | | | connection? Check out the price points next time |
| of the reasons behind our brand selections - as a | | | | you are in the supermarket. Consumers don't pay |
| matter of fact, we don't need reasons. Oh, sure, | | | | this premium because of effectiveness or a brand |
| when somebody asks us why we choose what | | | | promise of quality. They pay it because they |
| we choose, we can and do come up with some | | | | desire a closer connection to their own lives.Those |
| rational reasons. We do it because we think we | | | | that steal share make closer connections. Their |
| need a rational basis for our purchasing behavior. | | | | brands align themselves with the target audience's |
| But really, we don't. Our actions in the | | | | precepts and "mean something."Tom Dougherty |
| marketplace are almost always intuitive and | | | | CEO, Senior Strategist at Stealing Share, Inc. ( |
| emotional.Consider beer purchases. Does anyone | | | | Tom began his strategic |
| believe that Budweiser is the runaway market | | | | marketing and branding career in Saudi Arabia |
| leader because beer consumers are big fans of | | | | working for the internationally |
| Beechwood and Budweiser is "Beechwood Aged?" | | | | acclaimed Saatchi & Saatchi. His brand manager |
| In other words, do they buy it because of taste? | | | | at the time referred to Tom |
| They may say they do, but in blind tasting only | | | | as a "marketing genius," and Tom demonstrated |
| the savviest two or three percent of beer | | | | his talents to clients such as |
| drinkers can distinguish any difference between | | | | Ariel detergent, Pampers and many other brands |
| beer brands. If they can taste a difference, they | | | | throughout the Middle East |
| are hard-pressed to name the brand. Beer brand | | | | and Northern Africa. After his time overseas, |
| choices are obviously not about taste and rarely | | | | Tom returned to the US where |
| about benefit or attributes.If you want a | | | | he worked for brand agencies in New York, |
| customer to change brands, you must make | | | | Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. |
| them care. You must know what they care | | | | He continued to prove himself as a unique and |
| about, and it is no surprise that the thing people | | | | strategic brand builder for |
| care about most is themselves - their beliefs, | | | | global companies. Tom has led efforts for brands |
| attitudes, convictions. Therefore, you should | | | | such as Procter & Gamble, |
| develop a strategy and execution that speaks to | | | | Kimberly Clark, Fairmont Hotels, Coldwell Banker, |
| them in an emotional way that connects your | | | | Homewood Suites (of |
| brand with their beliefs. This means that you must | | | | Hilton), Tetley Tea, Lexus, Sovereign Bank, and |
| understand your customer better than your | | | | McCormick to name a few. |
| competitors understand your customer. You must | | | | |