So often people think media when they think promotion, and their concept of great advertising is based on this idea,
“if you keep repeating something, finally people will be brainwashed and give in”.
The average American is exposed to 3,000 advertising messages a day. The impact of this advertising is so overwhelming that our brain just filters out the advertising as noise. This is what is known in the advertising industry as the wallpaper effect, in a cluttered media space, repetition alone will not save a brand.
In reality, customers and prospects “feel” your brand rather than see it.
The brands that get cut through are the emotionally resonant brands. We are not talking syrupy sweet sentimentalism as emotion, as many advertisers seem to think it is, no we are talking about how well a brand hits the sweet spot of our unmet needs. This is because every unmet need has an emotional charge, because emotions are our guidance system to help us get our needs met.
Invest in great brand planning, strike at your customer’s heart and you may only need to tell them once, to win them over for life.
So what are the lessons moving forward for brands that want to be felt in order to be seen?
1. Research the emotional connections between the brand and your customer
2. Use that for the framework to design your customer journey and your branded communications
3. Think about your sales and marketing spend, are you investing enough in brand planning?
4. Is your brand planning ongoing? Do you keep it current? Do you apply it to new segments and propositions?
Louise Kelly
Managing Director
Hearts and Minds
http://www.heartsandminds.com.au
Founder Thought Leaders Circle
Thought Leaders Circle 