I’m easy to please about most matters, but there are some matters I won’t compromise. Among those are the detergent we use (I despise doing laundry), the wines we drink (expensive does not always mean pleasing), and perfume (to avoid that funeral parlor scent). With the perfume, I see I’m in great company because Nicole Kidman is classy. Why do some brands earn a place of reverence?

Consistency is key, in my opinion. Remember the peanut butter recall? I still won’t buy certain brands. Availability is also key. I want to be able to buy it when I want it. But I think it goes deeper than that. There’s a lot to be said for comfort. Some products work like comfort food—they reassure and they also inspire confidence that the end result is exactly what I expect. If it’s even better than I expect I’m stuck on the item. This happened not long ago with a particular currant jelly that’s imported from Great Britain. It costs the same as other jellies, but the product is superior and a grocery nearby always has it.

I think about this every time I work on promotional components. What element will enable the product to slip itself into the consumer’s comfort zone? What words can I script that will inspire the consumer to pull money out and purchase? What need or benefit can I provide? It’s a fairly drawn out psychological process, and it can be very challenging. But the payoff is definitely worth the effort.

The easiest pitch I’ve ever worked on involved coming up with marketing ideas for endangered and threatened species fund raising. During team meetings, we’d kick around ideas for images—eagles, falcons and tortoises were favorites. Although there were far more plants than animals on the list, we almost always went with what we called “warm and fuzzy species.” We were perfectly satisfied with a special project on the Bald Eagle until a biologist who was a plant guy spoke up one day. “The eagle is really just like a vulture, you know. He’ll eat anything.” Thing was, the consumer didn’t know that. And we didn’t tell. Our hungry eagle might not pass up a dead possum on the road, but our final image was majestic. That’s all our potential donors needed to know.

(Note: no compensation is derived from mention/image of any product or link here.)

[Beneath the Brand, Talent Zoo, Kay B. Day, Branding, Advertising, Strategy]

Article Tags: Beneath the Brand | Branding | Kay B. Day | marketing | opinion | Strategy | Talent Zoo
Filed under: Advertising, Branding, Miscellaneous, Personal Opinions, Strategy