May 15, 2013
Some people just know how to get us going.
In our last blog, we covered the first three principles from Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion: Reciprocity, commitment and consistency, and social proof. Now, without further adieu, here are the remaining three…
PRINCIPLE 4: Liking
You’ve heard the expression that people do business with people they like. Very true, according to Cialdini. In fact, liking can take many forms…
- We tend to like people like ourselves—those of the same age or station in life, those who dress like we do, think like we do.
- Physical attraction plays a role here, too. We’ve all heard how more attractive people tend to move up and get promoted more often than their fuglier colleagues.
- Compliments and flattery can get you everywhere, too, if it’s sincere.
Cialdini also points out what he calls the team phenomenon, where a fan actually projects himself on his favorite team. They use terms like, “We lost the playoffs,” or “I don’t know why we’re recruiting that guy.”
Liking someone is a huge shortcut in our decision-making process. Often, when you like someone, you’ll agree to things you normally wouldn’t with, say, a less likable sort. It’s a tribal thing, wired deep in our DNA. The moral: If you want to be persuasive, being likeable helps a lot.
PRINCIPLE 5: Authority
A friend of mine, who was once seriously ill, would always shut down at the sight of a doctor’s white coat. Just something about it intimidated her—she’d go blank on all the critical questions she wanted to ask, and totally forget what the good doctor told her. Cialdini would say that this is an example of the blinding influence authority figures have on us.
There have been experiments—sometimes cruel ones—where a person is ordered to do something by some sort of authority, even something unpleasant or objectionable. Yet, they do it anyway, because the authority said so.
Teachers, doctors, policemen, parents, government officials, clergy, even so-called “experts” in an industry can all fall under this principle. They have a much deeper influence on us than we think. Cialdini says that this ties to a fear of punishment, a sense of duty and other deep-seated worldviews.
PRINCIPLE 6: Scarcity
I remember, when my kids were little, the near mob scenes at McDonald’s when they were giving away the now forgotten Beanie Baby toys. The hysteria was further whipped up by the news, which showed people buying and throwing away Happy Meals just to get their hands on the felt-covered gems. And every few holiday seasons, some nearly sold-out toy causes parents to turn into a panicky herd, charging Walmart counters on Black Friday.
Scarcity—the thought that something is in short supply—makes people go batty. It’s why marketers put expiration dates on coupons. Or infomercials tell us that the offer is only good for the next 10 minutes. It sets our collective adrenaline pumps into overdrive—and fills stores, gets the phone ringing and the online orders placed.
Cialdini advises that you make your offer unique, interesting and in danger of being lost if they don’t act. It can drive sales considerably… and often has.
When you read Cialdini’s work, it holds a strange dichotomy in your brain. We’ve all fallen for or used at least some of these principles. They are strangely familiar and obvious, yet they seem to keep humanity under a persuasive wrap for time immemorial.
It just goes to show that no matter how advanced we fancy ourselves, human nature is simply human nature.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group
May 9, 2013
We’ve all felt like this at different times in our lives…
Robert Cialdini is an interesting guy. He spent most of his life in academia, as a professor of psychology and marketing, most recently at Arizona State University. Yes, he’s whip smart. But from early on, something always gnawed at Cialdini, both in his personal and professional life.
There were times where he agreed to do something—said yes—even though he often really didn’t want to. He began exploring why some people could persuade colleagues, friends and strangers, while others couldn’t, or worse, were taken advantage of.
So Cialdini went undercover. He got jobs and trained at car dealerships, telemarketing companies and others to learn the ropes of persuasion. And the result was his groundbreaking book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It’s sold more than two million copies worldwide.
I’ve read it twice… once in my early career, and again a few years ago. It’s incredibly powerful, chock full of examples and validated scientific data on persuasion. It changed the way I saw things. Yeah, it’s that kind of book, and I think it should be required reading for anyone in marketing, communications or sales.
Cialdini broke the concept of persuasion into six principles. Today, I’ll share three of them, and next week, I’ll share the rest (just for the sake of room!).
A fundamental tenet to persuasion, Cialdini says, is the fact that we all look for shortcuts. Most of us are overwhelmed by work, family, and life. So to help stay on top of it all, we take certain shortcuts in our decision-making… and that’s the sweet spot where persuasion happens. He calls it a “click, whirr” response.
Now, onto the principles…
PRINCIPLE 1: Reciprocity
I call this the IOU principle. When someone does you a favor, most cultures call on us to reciprocate in some way—to give something back in appreciation for the first kind gesture. Cialdini warns, however, that this concept of obligation often gets distorted, and people end up paying back far out of proportion to the original favor.
An interesting example… waiters. In a study, when waiters brought the check to the table, they often got a normal tip. But, if they brought a mint for each person at the table, the tip went up by 3%. If they gave two mints for everyone, they got a 14% bump. And… get this… if they gave one mint to everyone, then came back to the table and said, “You people are nice. Here’s another mint for all of you,” their tips jumped 23%!
Cialdini tells us that things like personalization and surprise, like the last waiter example, make the reciprocity rule even more powerful.
PRINCIPLE 2: Commitment and consistency
How do you see yourself? A family person? A liberal? Conservative? We all label ourselves… and once we settle on a self-imposed definition, we tend to stick to it, sometimes to a fault. Cialdini says that often, people will continue to convince themselves of their decisions’ correctness—which often creates an automatic response.
Example… fundraising. There was probably some point in your life when you decided to support something, and ended up in it for the long haul and a lot of coin. Let’s say, for instance, public radio. Once you commit yourself in your mind as a “public radio guy,” you’re more likely to pay for the annual membership, along with the quarterly drives, special fundraisers, emergency funding and more. You stop thinking about the money, or whether it’s even worth it, and think instead: “Yeah, I support public radio.” Ka-ching.
Cialdini says that this principle often starts small—such as a nominal donation or signing a petition—and builds over time, sometimes becoming quite consuming and draining.
PRINCIPLE 3: Social proof
I like to call this the principle of “monkey see, monkey do.” When we notice others doing or committing to something, we assume that it’s good. We naturally surmise that someone, somewhere, checked this out… so it’s safe and good for me, too. And many times, it is.
But here’s a tragic example of social proof gone wrong: Bernie Madoff. The king of all Ponzi schemes mostly got his celebrity and upscale clientele through reputation and referrals. Even though some analysts saw that the math just didn’t make sense, for most people, they simply believed their friends, colleagues and others sharing the same rung on their social ladder. And the results were, well, devastating.
Keep in mind, when Cialdini wrote his book, most Millennials were in diapers—and there was no Facebook, Pinterest or any other social media at the time. It will be fascinating to see the persuasive power the ubiquitous Facebook “like” will carry in coming years.
Whew! Well, there are the first three. I’m sure you see yourself in some of these—I know I do. Next Thursday, we’ll cover principles 4, 5 and 6: Liking, authority and scarcity. See you then.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group
May 2, 2013
Voila! A masterpiece…
Millennials—that elusive group aged somewhere between 18 and 32, depending on whom you ask—have been in the news a lot in recent years. There’s the perpetual unemployment problem among that age set, along with hefty college debt. And fast food behemoth McDonald’s is now looking to rejig its menu to appeal to more health-conscious 20-somethings.
The 18 to 32 thing is pretty wide. A lot of marketers are now slicing this coveted demographic into subgroups, which is probably wise. Most agree that a Millennial is anyone born after 1980, but it varies by a year or two, here and there.
As a marketer, whether you’re selling B2B or B2C, if you aren’t selling to Millennials now, you soon will be. It’s a big group. According to the National Conference on Citizenship, they are 82 million strong. (Compare that to 77 million Boomers, the group we always associate with massive proportions!)
Like Generation X before them, Millennials are diverse. But for this crowd of connected kids, there are common threads they care about. Here are five cool facts about them:
They’re used to competition… and adapt to it. Pickings are slim with jobs. Unlike older generations, Millennials are willing to put in unpaid internships, part-time work in retail and other sacrifices to get by until their ship comes in. Consequently, many live with their parents in the burbs or share rent with friends in urban settings. They’re not doing the traditional get-a-job-get-married-buy-a-house thing. So some marketing messages and imagery of yesteryear may just not jive.
Some have compared Millennials, interestingly, to The Greatest Generation—the people that came of age during the Great Depression. Those dire times created a resourceful, hardworking, willing-to-sacrifice group that rebuilt our country after WWII. It will be interesting to see how a rough economic start will shape Millennials.
Their spending reveals a lot. It’s hard to imagine a Millennial without a smart phone. Most are willing to go without other things—particularly more luxury-type items—to be able to afford the technology they so love. And when it comes to buying from companies and brands, technology is a big driver. Amazon, Zipcar and others rely heavily on technology to keeps costs down and services/products more accessible. Millennials love that and take advantage of it.
They like variety and being able to customize products, too. Millennials grew up with more choices than anyone before them—everything from colleges to attend to the cereals in the food aisle. Made to order, buffets, variety, picking custom colors—they’re all approaches Millennials are used to and want. Your product or service should probably offer options if you want to attract them.
Being social… both online and with issues. To engage this generation, social media like Facebook and Twitter are musts. Having these resources is far from being a novelty anymore—they’re business necessities.
In the real world, Millennials care deeply about social issues, injustice, and even politics. And they will openly support companies that are aligned with their views. Remember, they have grown up in a world of globalization, fewer jobs, pollution issues, healthcare woes and more. They are aware of and active about the big issues and expect your brand to be, too.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group
Apr 25, 2013
Here, customer…
I was at a business networking thing a few months back, and started gabbing with a product manager from, of all things, a valve company. Yes, valves—as in plumbing. As you’d expect, she looked pretty beaten down; it’s not the most interesting subject to peddle.
We started to get into the nitty-gritty about her company’s products—hey, it was new for me, at least—and I was surprised to learn that she really wasn’t selling on benefits. Most of her sell was, well, facts. “X” valve does “X” gallons per minute… that kind of thing.
I asked, “So, what’s the benefit to that?”
“Benefit?” she asked, perplexed.
“To whomever is using it…” I said, now perplexed myself.
I was met with a blank stare, and our conversation started to sputter, like a substandard valve. I graciously excused myself.
Later, as I stood munching by the cheese platter (I’m always by the cheese platter), I was thinking about that short, awkward, chat.
As marketers, we should (hopefully) ALWAYS being thinking in terms of benefits for our customers… the sizzle and not necessarily the steak. And although “valve lady” may be lost on this, the rest of us know the drill.
You’d think that a benefit is just a benefit. Pretty simple. But in fact, there are several different types of benefits. There are, for example…
Objective positive benefits – These are the types of benefits most of us think of first… a product or service saves you time, effort or money. It makes you more in the know or successful. A lot of business seminars fall into this category—like a recent one I saw that promised to teach you “Insider’s secrets to social media success!” The benefit is clear and direct.
Positive emotional benefits – This is when the product or service makes you feel happier, more confident or satisfied… any positive uplift. A good example? Weight-loss products. They almost always focus on your being more attractive, envied or admired… sometimes even over real-life benefits like better health!
Emotional relief benefits – This is a very different direction from a positive emotional benefit. This is about a product or service taking away negative emotions, like embarrassment, fear or frustration. Think of a home alarm system keeping your family safe… or an identity theft prevention service. It’s all about the peace of mind, man.
Problem-solving benefits – A lot of marketers like this one! It’s when a product or service solves a specific problem. Like relieving symptoms from a persistent condition, getting out of debt, or even making your teeth whiter. Like objective positive benefits, these are pretty direct, too—but are often very specific and targeted.
The best marketing I’ve seen will use more than one of these approaches. That’s because different types of personalities respond to different types of benefits. Some are more emotional, some more objective.
A funny but incredibly effective example of multiple-benefit marketing is the Swiffer®, from Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1999, P&G has sold nearly 12 million of them. And when you look at their marketing, they touch on all the benefit types:
- It cleans the floor quickly and efficiently (objective benefit)
- It doesn’t spread dirty water all over the floor, like an old-fashioned mop (problem-solving)
- Swiffer assures you that it lifts dirt off the floor and takes it away, which is cleaner and healthier (emotional relief)
- You’ve done a better job for your family (positive)
It’s benefit genius!
A good thing to try: If you tend to sell utilizing just one benefit approach, consider exploring another type or two—it may be a welcome refresher to your marketing.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group
Apr 18, 2013
The “pencil test” is seemingly simple… but just wait until you try it.
As I was coming up in copywriting, I took a real perception-altering course. All of my assignments were given and critiqued by top direct response copywriters in the business. Yes, I paid a pretty penny for this—one that my near-entry-level salary couldn’t really afford—but I was glad I did it. I still think about those lessons.
One of the toughest parts of the course was something called the “pencil test.” The task, at first, seemed simple: We took out a pad, and made two columns. We labeled the left column, “Features,” and the right, “Benefits.”
Then, the instructor gave me a pencil. An ordinary, yellow, number-two pencil—exactly like the ones you used in school.
He told us to write a feature of the pencil in the left column and its benefit in the right.
For just a refresher, a feature is a characteristic of a product or service. For example, the pencil is yellow. The benefit is the advantage that someone gets from that feature. So, a yellow pencil makes it easier to find in a crowded drawer.
The goal was to come up with as many features/benefits as we could for the pencil, in a given amount of time (I think it was half an hour).
Of course, I came up with the first several combos pretty effortlessly…
- The ridged body of the pencil (feature) helps it stay put on your desk (benefit)
- The handy eraser (feature) takes away mistakes in a few strokes (benefit)
- The granite point (feature) can be used sharpened or dull for different effects and needs (benefit)
Then, I suddenly started running out of mental lead. Straining a bit, with a thin film of perspiration forming on my brow, I finally eked out another…
- The pencil sharpens (feature), so you can use it over and over for crisp writing (benefit).
OK, not my best work.
I labored to squeeze out a few more, and by that time, the teacher wanted us to share our list with our classmates.
I ranked a smidge above average in the exercise. Some hardly got past the basic features, while others delved into the emotional benefits of the pencil, flipping features and benefits or even doubling benefits…
- No need to feel insecure ever again (benefit)… you can obliterate your mistakes (benefit) with the built-in eraser! (feature)
Talk about feeling insecure. I was pretty early in my career, but I realized I had a way to go to match some of the marketing heavyweights in the class.
Which brings up an important point for you. As a marketer, you’re probably very familiar with the features and benefits of your product. But, have you truly hunkered down and explored ALL the possible ones?
Just an FYI… no one in that class had more than a dozen features/benefits. Then the teacher told us that some superstar, way back, actually came up with more than 100. That’s one amazing pencil!
In next week’s blog, I’ll share four different ways of looking at the benefits of your product or service.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group
Apr 11, 2013
Ta-daaaaa!
If you’re relatively new to marketing, when you start a project, you may ask yourself, “What do we want to say?” And you think long and hard about the product or service you’re trying to sell.
But, if you’re a natural at marketing, or have been at it for some time, the questions are different and deeper. They’re more along the lines of “What does my customer want? What are his pain points, and how does my product or service solve them?”
If you let the answers to those questions steer you, you’re bound to have a fairly high batting average… unless your product or service is substandard. Then, you have a whole other set of problems and questions to ponder.
But today, I’d like to share with you a little tidbit worth many times its weight in marketing gold. It goes deeper than mere features and benefits—in fact, it gives you quick, and powerful, insight into your prospect.
This marketing gem was hatched in the brain of a highly successful marketer—and one you’ve likely never heard of. His name is Bill Bonner, and he’s a Baltimore-based copywriter and publisher. In fact, he’s the founder of Agora Publishing… one of the most successful book, newsletter and information publishers in the world. They have offices across the planet and have more than a million steady subscribers who pay hefty fees for their stuff.
Bill mostly peddles high-end financial and economic products… so any fears or complaints you have about a complicated or hard sell can be set aside. Bill markets complex products every day. And he’s been staggeringly successful at it.
So what is Bill’s prized marketing advice? It can be summed up in a simple quote from an interview with him:
“What your customer really wants, more than anything, is to be the hero of his own story.”
OK, I know what you’re thinking. That’s it?!? That’s the semiprecious stone of salesmanship?!?
Just stay with me for a minute.
That quote, when applied to your marketing, can grant you volumes of understanding. It doesn’t matter if it’s B2C or B2B. The principle is the same.
It’s about gaining insight into some of your prospect’s deepest desires as a person. People want to been seen—by others and themselves—as winners. They want others to think of them as smart, valuable and interesting. And they want to enjoy the security that comes from respect. There’s a higher, better self they’re striving for and want.
In simpler words, they want to be heroes of their own stories.
Let’s bring this back down to planet Earth. Your B2B or B2C customer doesn’t just want to buy a product or service from you. He wants to look good to the boss… or his wife… or his friends. He wants to post on Facebook how he found this awesome product, or brag to his buddies at the bar about how he saved the day at work. And for a few minutes, he’ll totally enjoy being the guru… the smart dude… the irreplaceable employee… the valuable member of his team or community… the guy who does his homework… the hero.
So make sure your marketing messages infuse him with superpowers! Pour on the benefits. Help him craft his own epic tale with great writing, powerful images, resourceful links, informative videos and more. With every piece you create, imagine your prospect telling others about it… sharing his “find.”
Make it easy and do it well, and the results will be super.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group.
Apr 4, 2013
Would your brand story be a good read for your customers?
Everyone loves a great story. It’s a fundamental part of human nature. From our ancestors swapping yarns around the campfire to the Biography Channel, stories help us put the world, and life, in context.
Stories also help us remember. For tens of thousands of years, when the vast majority of the human race couldn’t read or write, our fellow homo sapiens passed down stories by word of mouth, from one generation to the next. Homer’s Odyssey—a massive work of imagination and detail—was originally sung as a story.
Why do stories have this effect on us? Neurologists tell us our brains are actually wired for storylines. In clinical studies using MRIs and other monitoring equipment, our noggins’ neural pathways fire up when engaged in a good tale.
There’s been a lot of talk about story in recent years, especially how it relates to marketing and branding. Corporations and non-profits alike are increasingly telling their stories through marketing, advertising and promotion—including ads, YouTube videos, podcasts, social media and even storybooks. A good marketer knows that if her story is compelling enough, it will claim a small section of people’s memories for years to come. It’s powerful stuff.
Maybe that’s why the art of storytelling is accelerating as fast as our tongues can wag.
In Daniel Pink’s recent book, A Whole New Mind, he says story is becoming more and more important in a world packed with too many choices and too little differentiation. Pink tells us that there are now multinational storytelling festivals to learn the craft. And major organizations are taking up tales, too—3MTM, NASA and Xerox® are all actively collecting and archiving databases of their key stories.
Xerox alone, according to Pink, keeps a database of swapped stories from their repair personnel, which is valued at $100 million. NASA and 3M have storytelling lessons for their executive teams to help sell their organizations and make them memorable to shareholders, government officials and the public.
Joseph Campbell, in his 1949 masterwork, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, concludes that all cultural stories share many of the same ingredients. In fact, Campbell says there are no new stories, just stories retold.
Many brand stories share common plot lines, too.
So, where’s your “once upon a time?” Here are three storytelling techniques that work really well…
1. Take them to your leader
Many companies tell their founder story… a tale of a visionary who rose above personal struggles or the times and set something amazing into motion. Think of such icons as Walt Disney… Henry Ford… Milton Hershey… and Steve Jobs. The list goes on, because people love these stories. Steve Job’s authorized biography was even a best seller!
The best way to tell a founding father story – Reveal the human behind the legend. Disney put himself in debt up to his mouse ears to finance Snow White—the first feature-length cartoon. People thought he was nuts, but we all know how the Disney story unfolded. Use old films and pictures, accounts from people who worked with him in the early days and more. You may even consider an app or electronic timeline to tell your founder’s rise to fame.
2. Behind the scenes
This is a favorite technique with entertainment companies, B2B marketing and many others. Take your audience inside your company, where most people are typically shut out. Show them the inner workings, the people, some of the secrets you use to make your magic. Think education + entertainment + engagement.
A great example? The next time you watch a favorite movie on DVD, there’s almost always a behind the scenes documentary showcasing how the movie is made, the actor’s viewpoints and a reveal of how the creative juices flowed. I always find it amusing that it’s not enough for people to just enjoy a good movie, they want to see more, and understand deeper. Cool tools for this technique are video, apps, quizzes and Facebook posts.
3. Your humble beginnings and struggles
Americans, in particular, love success stories. People who started in their parents’ garage, and went on to build an empire. Here, the key is sharing your strengths and weaknesses. Show your vulnerability, dirty laundry and skeletons… and how you overcame it all. It builds empathy and fans.
An awesome example of this technique? The Facebook movie from a few years back—with its power struggles, back stabbing and Machiavellian tactics—not only engaged people, it helped accelerate the masses signing up. I’ve seen brands use everything from storybooks to slideshows to tell their humble beginnings stories. Be creative with it, but most of all, be real.
There are many other story techniques, and you can seriously get lost in the weeds with how to tell your particular story. (For an amazing tutorial on how to craft a compelling story, see this video from Ira Glass of This American Life. The man knows how to keep you entranced!)
Great stories, told well, can transcend culture and time. Tell yours, and tell it well.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group.
Mar 28, 2013
Our visual aid for today…
Everyone would like to know what makes their customers tick. Me included. And there are umpteen theories floating around in marketing land that, on the low end, offer a point of view, and on the high end, actually provide you a working guideline.
I can’t get enough of these theories. Love them. And while purging some of my porky little files this week, I came across an old favorite called consumer involvement.
Consumer involvement is just another way for you to understand the behavior of your target audience… their thinking, feeling and energy when they’re looking to buy your product or service. It’s actually pretty insightful.
To demonstrate the theory, I put together the chart on this page, which basically explains the fundamentals.
But, what is theory (and a chart) without some practical, real-world advice? So, below, I’ve listed exactly what each quadrant of the chart means, what products/services they apply to, how you should market to that quadrant, and some examples of people who market really well in those spaces.
Ready?
1. HIGH RATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
This is when a product is expensive, more complex or is an important/major purchase. Examples include choosing an insurance plan, deciding what back-up system to buy, upgrading your kitchen appliances and the like… more technical types of buys. B2B marketing often falls into this quadrant.
Here’s what you should do…
Think like an engineer! Spell out the features and benefits of your product very clearly. Your audience is treading cautiously, trying to compare facts, so give them the information they want through charts; longer, more detailed copy; reviews and testimonials; specs; plenty of technical illustrations and more.
A great example: Consumer Reports. People LOVE the scientific, unbiased information they get on everything from vacuums to life insurance plans. CR is also a master at presenting complex information—both on and offline.
2. HIGH EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Products that garner high emotional involvement tend to be more personal—for consumers, it could mean booking a much-needed, exotic vacation or buying an engagement ring. On the business side, it includes hiring people, advertising or the interior design of a new office space.
Here’s what you should do…
Visual and emotional appeals are the benevolent dictators of this quadrant. Your copy should be strong, heartfelt and human. Many marketers in this space use stories that showcase how the product or service changed someone’s life or enriched a business. Video is incredibly powerful for highly emotional products—complete with music to make the message particularly poignant. Strive to help your audience “experience” what you’re trying to sell.
A great example: Disney. It is the shiny happy virtuoso of pulling audiences in and getting them psyched about their vacation with the kiddies.
3. LOW RATIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Many everyday purchases fall into this category… like the Dunkin Donuts coffee you enjoy on the way to work… or the over-the-counter brand you pick up without even thinking. These are habitual purchases, and like most proverbial habits, they’re tough for your customer to break.
Here’s what you should do…
You have to change those deeply embedded neuro patterns. Be generous with free trials, coupons, samples—anything to rattle that entrenched brain and get it to notice something else! Rewards work, too. Consider things like giveaways, sweepstakes and more. If those don’t work, it may be high time to refresh or even rebrand your product so it’s not invisible anymore.
A great example: DollarShaveClub.com. Who knew something as trivial as disposable razors could be so… entertaining?
4. LOW EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT
Here, think immediate gratification and impulse buys… candy in the check-out line… a gossipy rag… anything emotional or sensual in nature, but not lasting like higher emotional products. Imagine this quadrant as the consumer satisfying a little urge and moving on.
Here’s what you should do…
Turn on the eyeballs. Visual approaches are particularly effective here… think of a sexy, leggy bikini model on a magazine cover… images of luscious melted chocolate pouring over a cookie… backlit posters of hot, buttery popcorn at the movies. The visual needs to be hyper gorgeous. And the copy should be short and preferably reward driven. Point-of-purchase displays, floor stickers, shelf talkers and more will all nudge the sales needle in this quadrant.
A great example: The lottery (just about any state!). The colorful images… fun scratch-off themes… and the promise of finally getting the opulent life you deserve—who can resist?
Now, it’s important to remember that not every purchase plops right square in the middle of a quadrant. In fact, many purchase decisions are blended—you may be hovering in the low emotional involvement quadrant, with a heavy leaning toward the low rational side (like making an impulse candy purchase, but of an old favorite, like Snickers).
Another middle ground example? Healthcare. It tends to fall in midpoint between high rational involvement (are they specialists in this disease? What is their success rate?) and high emotional involvement (that’s my MOM you’re taking care of!).
No matter what marketing theory or method is hot at the moment, it’s tough to steer the marketing ship wrong if you truly know your audience. Empathy always rules.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group.
Mar 20, 2013
The 4 ‘Ps’ formula… veeeery interesting.
If there’s one thing that nearly every marketer on the planet struggles with, it’s information overload. There are product details for you to know; customer surveys; demographics; production knowledge; and on and on. And in this tornado of info (Torninfo?) comes the all-too-often new thing to do… like launching a new product, reinventing an old one or promoting something to someone, somewhere, NOW.
It’s easy to lose focus in the swirl of it all, because there’s a lot to think about.
But basically, starting a new marketing effort comes down to two, basic components: deciding what exactly you’re going to say, and then organizing it in a way that communicates it clearly to your staff or agency.
Trying to state something very clearly and simply can, ironically, be mind-numbingly hard. But, we’re here to solve that today, with an easy little formula created by advertising copywriters of yesteryear.
It’s called the “4 Ps” approach, based, as we’ve hoped you’ve guessed, on four words beginning with that famous 16th letter of the alphabet: Promise, picture, proof and push. It’s a powerful prescription for promotion-induced panic attacks and palpitations. Here’s how it breaks down…
Promise – What will your product or offering do for your customer? What’s the big promise we can make to him or her? Think in terms of benefits, not just features—for example, not just selling a car (feature) but luxury, speed, prestige, value, good gas mileage, etc. (benefits). A good place to start is to think of a pain point your customer may be having and showing him or her how your offering can relieve that.
Remember what cosmetic kingpin and founder of Revlon Charles Revson said: “In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store, we sell hope.”
Picture – This encompasses all the visual aspects to our marketing message… everything from your company’s brand standards to product photography. But it’s also really important to think about what messages these visuals convey. Does your imagery do your product justice? Does it oversell it? Ideally, your imagery should match or enhance the promise you’re making. We live in a visual age, where people often look at pictures before words—so this aspect of your message is key.
Celebrated architectural and furniture designer Charles Eames once said, “Design is … arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.”
Proof – OK, you’ve made a compelling promise and you’ve dressed it up nicely. Now, your prospect needs to know that what you’re saying is true. Use testimonials, studies, charts, comparisons, facts and more to make your case bulletproof! Keep in mind that, in this step, you’re establishing credibility and earning your prospect’s trust. Having a nice promise and picture just won’t cut it, especially with more expensive or technical-type products.
Some wise words from news legend Edward R. Murrow: “To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.”
Push – This is actually the part of the formula far too many marketers forget. After the prospect has taken in your promise, enjoyed its visual presentation and considered the proof you’ve given, what do we want him or her to do? The answers range from placing an order, to signing up for a webinar, to giving up their email or any number of other things. But you need to guide them in some way.
Marketer Shane Gibson reminds us: “Always be closing.”
So, your thoughts? Is the “4 Ps” method profound or poppycock? Powerful or paltry? A pleasure or painful?
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group.
Mar 13, 2013
How do you make things, uh, catchy?
We live in a very viral age. From antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” to cyber attacks, there’s rarely a day that goes by when some sort of biological or digital virus isn’t overtaking something, somewhere.
I find it amusing that the term “virus” can mean everything from an abundant blessing to the most wretched of curses—depending on your frame of reference. It’s easy to understand, when IT types hear someone utter “virus,” that their pocket protectors collectively drop to the floor. But flip to marketers, musicians, artists and others… and they BEG the cyber gods for something of theirs to “go viral.”
It’s hard to think of any other concept or term that exhilarates and terrifies us at the same time. So many of us dream about it. Others recoil at just the thought.
Who was “patient zero” in this whole viral thing? According to Wired editor Bill Wasik, employees at Hot Mail coined the term “going viral” in the late 1990s, when word of their service spread electronically across the Internet like an uncovered sneeze. Gesundheit. And I digress.
The idea of something spreading in our culture is far from new. In previous decades and centuries, all the hits, trends and fads simply spread through other channels… like TV, print, radio and movies—when old-timers “chatted at the water cooler.” The difference now is the speed and truly global nature of today’s viruses. (Both digital and biological, I’m afraid.)
More than 100 million viewers tuned in to watch the finale of M*A*S*H… a number that hasn’t been matched in television since. Yet Psy’s Gangnam Style YouTube video clocks in at 1,406,954,476 (in the second I wrote this). You do the math. My head hurts.
Virality has also become a concrete measure of success or failure. We know to the click, view, retweet or share exactly how something we’ve created has done. Bloggers are judged by how many people read their posts. People’s cultural influence is measured in Twitter followers. We make judgments on people, based on how many friends or LinkedIn connections they have.
We all want more, all the time.
But, take away the technological miracles for a moment, grab your microscope and take a good, deep look at the cultural phenomenon of going viral. It’s really just about human nature.
Think about the things you share online… whether it’s with friends or colleagues. Nearly all of us pass along stuff to make others laugh; to share an insight; to create a connection. If it’s sincere, people usually respond.
I think Alex Bogusky put it best. Alex was one of the founding partners of Crispin Porter—one of the most successful ad agencies in recent decades. Alex said that viral things tend to have one (or more) of three traits. They are…
- Entertaining – The hilarious Old Spice commercials. The ubiquitous Tardar Sauce (a.k.a. the grumpy cat). Screaming goats edited into a Taylor Swift song. They make us laugh, cry, and forget our stress for a little while. You like it, and you want to pass the feeling on and make others feel good, too.
- Beautiful – How many emails have you gotten with PowerPoint presentations of gorgeous ice sculptures… breathtaking views of our planet… or amazingly designed homes? We’re all busy as hell, yet we click through slide by slide, or share it on Facebook, or write a status about it on LinkedIn. Again, you were moved, and you want to move others.
- Useful –Think of how the TED talk videos have opened the eyes of millions to new ideas. Or how YouTube teaches young musicians how to play something in minutes that used to take weeks to figure out. We all have our interests and passions, we all want to grow, and we know others do, too. So when we come across something useful or beneficial, we pass it along.
It’s also important to remember the math behind the viral phenomenon. An adorable cat video doesn’t just magically appear to a gazillion people all at once. Rather, it starts with individuals sharing it in their little networks, then those people sharing it with theirs, and on and on. Just like biological viruses that eventually turn into a pandemic, digital viruses spread among smaller groups first, then transmit exponentially to the masses.
Why do things go viral? The easy answer is because something is entertaining, beautiful or useful. But there’s a deeper reason, too… one that transcends all media, cultures and fads. Things go viral, because they’re a direct result of the relationships we all enjoy. They’re just another way for us to connect with each other. And that’s exactly the sort of thing we don’t mind catching again and again.
- Andy Badalamenti is the creative director for CI-Group.
