One of our printing partners recently sent me a link to a graphic design shop's website. My friend had never seen the word creative used as a noun before. But that's not what struck me about the site.

Check out the opening lines: "We believe effective creative comes from critical thinking and that thinking cannot, and should not, be constrained within arbitrary parameters." That line is ironically followed later by this: "Simply stated, we are a jargon-free agency."

Huh?

It's not the big words that confuse me. (Give me a little credit, please.) I just wonder how people write stuff without ever thinking about how it reads. Especially to someone who doesn't know them at all, who is gathering their first impressions about this firm and the people who work there.

But as overwrought as that web copy is, it has been topped. I've seen much, much worse in several industries.

When you write and speak -- in marketing, in sales, in customer service -- speak your customer's language. Impress them with your command of their needs and your own solutions, not the far reaches of your extensive personal lexicon.

Labels: bad habits, customer centered, marketing, messaging

In the first couple years of Fox Marketing Group, I introduced a program giving local restaurants exposure in local hotels, updated weekly. I piloted the idea in two different communities, and then sold it after a couple years. Fun times.

The manager of a national steakhouse chain ran the same 10% or 15% discount coupon every week, never changing it. As I checked in from week to week, response from the front-line staff was encouraging: "We're seeing a lot of these." But to my dismay, the manager eventually dropped the program, saying he didn't think he was getting enough takers to justify the effort.

This came as a surprise not because of the feedback from the cashiers, but because of something that had happened only two weeks earlier. During my rounds to area hotels one afternoon, I pulled into the local Days Inn and saw a gold mine: A tour bus had just arrived, filled with tired and hungry travelers. In addition to leaving the "Local Flavor" in the usual places, I boarded the bus and asked if anyone wanted a deal on their meal that evening.

I was met with thunderous applause. 40 passengers, new to town, were ready to eat.

Just an hour or so later, I discovered where they had chosen. Cruising by the steakhouse, I saw the bus in the parking lot and a line extending outside the restaurant doors. This steakhouse was getting business!

But the manager didn't know it. The cashiers would see the coupons, push a standardized discount button, and pitch the sheets in the trash. The manager never saw them.

If you don't have a system for tracking where your customers are coming from, including feedback from your front-line staff, start now. Customers are precious. Find out how they got to you.

Labels: advertising, bad habits, marketing, messaging, research

I just ran across some research from Rutgers that reminded me of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs behavioral theory. (Yeah, this is heavy thinking for a Monday night, but there's no football on TV.)

Data collected over the past couple decades shows that environmental concern trends higher in periods of general economic strength. When there is job growth and a sense of economic security, people feel free to worry about things that less directly impact their daily lives.

The hierarchy of needs holds, for example, that people aren't too worried about their self-actualization when they're fighting to merely feed themselves for the day. "Higher" goals and ambitions don't kick in until the more basic needs are met.

When times are good, they have the energy and mental latitude to care about things higher up the pyramid like environmental consciousness.

The application for today, where the recent past has been a tailspin and the near future is uncertain at best, is to focus your messaging on your buyer's more basic needs and problems. Yes, if you're "green" or you offer some other self-actualizing benefit, that should come across -- but only after you've shown how you help them in ways that are a little closer to home.

Labels: advertising, marketing, messaging, research, strategy

Any chance you can name the current tagline for Wendy's? If I asked this just a month ago, you would have correctly said, "It's waaaay better than fast food, it's Wendy's." But what was correct a month ago is not correct now.

Wendy's, like most large corporations, no doubt reviewed several campaign themes before settling on the "waaaay better" idea. And like most large corporations, Wendy's probably did some follow-up research after launching and executing that campaign for a few months. Apparently, the results were less than spectacular, because the tagline abruptly changed.

Now, in the same media and same frequency of advertising as before, we hear a jingle saying, "You know when it's real."

What to learn? If something's not working, pull the plug! But don't leave a vaccuum, fill the void with something better!

Wendy's no doubt had the "real" theme waiting in the wings, a second choice in case of emergency. And based on audience response to their previous theme, they decided they had to change course.

I'm not going to do an autopsy on their "waaaay better than fast food" theme, other than to say Subway has pretty well established that same positioning ("Eat Fresh"), and a burger joint was going to have trouble inhabiting the same property.

The lesson for us is to be aware when our efforts are falling flat, and have a backup plan so one stumble doesn't lose you too much ground. I have a vibe that Wendy's latest campaign will work a little better for them. Is your backup plan ready too?

Labels: advertising, management, marketing, messaging, strategy

"Cognitive dissonance" is the academic term for post-purchase anxiety. (Professors use big words to impress their students.)

It sounds something like this: Should I have bought this? Should I have shopped around more? Should I have asked more questions? Could I have done better? And on and on.

Post-purchase anxiety can potentially deter customers from making a return visit to you. It can certainly reduce their willingness to refer others to you. They may fear that their perceived mistake will be called out.

The thing is, it's not because you've done anything wrong! Nevertheless, it's in your best interest to anticipate it and reduce it.

Provide reassurance (with evidence, documentation or other support) early and often in the shopping process. This isn't just good for reducing post-purchase anxiety, it may also nudge fence-sitters into buying when they would otherwise chicken out.

If you want to make the customer experience thoroughly enjoyable, keep in mind their potential for worry and doubt. Find ways to alleviate it -- give them peace -- and everybody wins.

Labels: customer service, differentiation, marketing, messaging, salesmanship

Southwest Airlines is currently running TV spots where baggage handlers remind us Southwest doesn't add fees for checking luggage. At one point out on the tarmac, they yell at a competitor's plane, "Why are you charging for luggage?!"

The airline industry is perpetrating this nuisance almost unanimously right now, with Southwest being the notable holdout. Kudos to them for pointing it out!

It's not always this easy to find a point of differentiation that really resonates with your customers, but it's worth a few minutes of your time to find one. Think of something that really irritates customers in your marketplace, something widespread that has always been considered "normal" but frustrates customers.

Does that irritant exist with you? If not, follow Southwest's lead and boldly point it out. If so, find a way to get rid of that bug in your system, and then let everyone know what you've done.

If "industry-standard" means irritating to customers, defy the standard -- and don't keep it a secret!

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging, strategy

Lushin and Associates is still proudly advertising their "expensive and difficult sales training." Doesn't the tough economy mean they should scale back their advertising, or at least scale back their emphasis on "expensive and difficult?"

Not if they believe in it. And not if they are committed to the value their services provide. Not if they can prove their services are worth a premium. Surely they can argue that sales excellence and effectiveness are more valuable now than ever.

Times are tight and customers are cost-sensitive in every market, but that doesn't always mean an automatic price concession. Just thought I'd say publicly that I respect them for holding the line.

Labels: branding, differentiation, messaging, pricing, salesmanship, strategy

In a previous post, I mentioned a report regarding the incredible sameness of messages within a given industry. I just received an example, but fortunately I get to fix it.

Some website copy was just forwarded to me for editing. And there's going to be a lot of editing.

It all sounds nice, but there are so many generalities and fluffy claims, you could stick anyone's logo on it and it would probably still be true. Every player in the industry says the same things about themselves.

Companies check each other out, which of course is good intelligence gathering. But an unfortunate side effect is that they often go on and simply parrot each other. "My competitor said what? Well, we can do that too!" So all the companies make similar claims about their great pricing, their reliable service, their high standards of quality.

And no one stands out.

Don't be different just to be a nonconformist, do it to be more competitive. Just once, for practice, scrap everything you've ever said and craft your message again from scratch. Pretend you're talking to someone in casual conversation. Why should they do business with you?

This "blank canvas" approach might just open your eyes to something you can say that's truly different. And if not, look at each claim and see what you can add to your product or service that will allow you to say something unique. Then do it.

You don't want normal. Normal is blah. Normal is mediocrity. Ignore normal, and go find special.

Labels: advertising, customer centered, differentiation, marketing, messaging

You have 20 years' experience in the industry. Yay for you.

You have three locations. You have a well-trained staff. You have extended hours. You have done 700 similar projects. You have a wide selection.

Yay for you.

I can find what I want quickly at your store. I can ask questions and get helpful answers without initiating any arm-twisting from you. I can find guidance from you towards the best purchase for the specific purpose I'll be using the product for. I can schedule the next contractors because I have confidence you'll have your part done properly and on time. I can find you easily when I need you.

Yay for me . . . the customer.

Listen to any typical radio or TV ads, and focus on the claims. There's a lot of advertising that is little more than the business patting itself on the back. Yay for them.

Wouldn't it be better to translate all that fluff into something meaningful and motivating for the customer? Give the customer something that makes them say, "Yay for me!"

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging, strategy

When you're framing your pitch, pick your words with your customer in mind. It's often easy to just use the phrasing of an "insider," but to have the desired effect, you're wiser to speak the language of your audience.

I saw a recent press release regarding "virtual schools." This term isn't new. It's been used within the academic arena for quite a while. But the term virtual makes it sounds like almost a school, which is not the impression they really want to make.

Off the top of my head, I'd suggest they begin calling their model "remote education" instead. It communicates the what (education) and the how (remotely, with flexibility), without overused and poorly understood terms like "virtual."

Another example can be found in the coming debate over healthcare. President Obama's plans for healthcare are pretty easy to predict -- just today, in fact, he was working hard to keep the term "socialized medicine" out of the discussion. Also easy to predict is that the Republicans are crafting an alternative.

But in the preview I just heard, they're already making an error of verbage. If Congressional Democrats are the target audience for their proposal, referring to it as the "Republican alternative" is not a good way to encourage defections.

Small changes in wording are hardly irrelevant. When you're naming something or pitching something, the words you use truly matter. So watch your language, and make sure your point will make sense to your customer, not just you and your staff.

Labels: branding, marketing, messaging

In a TV ad for osteoporosis medication Boniva, I've noticed an interesting choice of words: "Boniva works with your body to rebuild bone..." Phrasing and word selection are not by accident in a big corporation's advertising, and should be just as deliberate and intentional in yours.

You're paying to send this message, so make sure you get it just how you want it.

Almost before I could analyze the why behind their choice of phrasing, I heard it again -- this time for the laxative Miralax: "Miralax works with your body to..." well, you know what it does.

It's clear that pharmaceutical marketers have picked up on something their customers want to hear.

The market is cool to the idea of putting chemicals into your body, but warm to the idea of things that are natural or appear to work naturally. Hence the rise in use of homeopathic remedies for a variety of ailments -- and the very logical repositioning on the part of drugmakers.

In this environment, a phrase like "works with your body" resonates more positively than it may have five or ten years ago. Then, it may have sounded weak; now, it sounds almost organic. And organic is very fashionable right now!

It takes a certain sensitivity to know what matters to your customers, what allays their fears or motivates their buying decisions. Do your best to recognize trends in attitude so wherever those attitudes move, you will be right there speaking their language.

Labels: advertising, customer centered, marketing, messaging