Don’t you just hate that TV commercial?
There’s a television commercial that really gets on your nerves. You know the one. It’s so dumb and annoying, you swear you’ll never buy that product. Ever. And you wonder why such a major brand name would waste so much advertising money on something so stupid.
It might be a spot where the guy with the right beer label attracts the attention of the ladies at a party. Or maybe it’s that late-night commercial schlepping videos of teenage girls cutting loose on Spring break. Or perhaps it’s the credit report service with a jingle that’s now stuck in your head, repeating the website address (also the brand name) over and over again.
If those brand messages are not really connecting with you, it’s probably not a wonder. And probably not a worry for the advertisers. You’re simply not the targeted young, male demographic they’re trying to reach. Research has determined this audience offers these brands the greatest opportunity for new customers. So the images and messages have been carefully developed by creative teams to appeal to this specific group.
As much as it can be measured, even in this day of social media and data base marketing, it’s the intangibles of the creative that make the emotional connection and becomes the basis for a relationship with those customers. And even though it’s not science, it’s also not magic or some stroke of genius. It’s hard work. Creative development is a process of problem solving to achieve strategic goals with the right message delivered in the right manner to reach the right people. It’s what breaks through the clutter, delivers the key selling points, and stays true to the brand’s personality.
So whether you hire professionals or try your own hand at it, starting with the basic elements of a Creative Brief will help you get to where you want to go:
• Know your audience. Who, specifically, are you talking to? The more precise and detailed the better. Go beyond age and sex to include demographics and psychographics, if you can.
• Know your objective. What do you want your targets to think, feel, or do? Are you trying to achieve a direct response, or are you building your brand image?
• Know your message. What’s the single most important thing you can say to achieve your objective? Then add other major points in order of relative importance to your targets. Don’t expect to tell all the messages at once. Too many messages add up to no message at all.
• Know your touch points. What are the rational and emotional reasons to believe your message? How will it improve the lives of those you’re trying to reach?
Though simplified, these basic guidelines are the essence of targeting your prospects and defining your message. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to reach consumers or other businesses. Investing in good creative helps you express a compelling message in a compelling way, and your marketing dollars will get a much greater return than just spending more and more money on advertising and other marketing tools.
Tags: Alan Schoff, broadcast, commercial, creative brief, Did you see that?, Marketing 101, Merced, message, objective, television