Page 68 - Duct Tape Marketing

Wake Up the Senses with an Image to Match Your Message

Define Your Core messages
This is another element that you should have already, but, if not,

pick up the phone and call five of your best customers and ask them
what you do that they value the most. Don’t let them say, “You pro-
vide good service.” Push them. “Tell me about a time we provided
good service.”

Now record those calls word for word, and capture the themes
that come up. You’ll be surprised how important this can be for a
designer to hear.

I once had a remodeling contractor that kept saying, “We are more
skilled than the competition.” His customers kept saying, “Yes, you are
skilled. But what I really like is how nice and clean your carpenters are
when they work.” Embracing that message changed everything about
their brand.

Attach Meaning and Metaphor
Is there a meaning or metaphor you want to capture? Be careful

here, as this can head right into cliché land. But identifying a mean-
ing or metaphor can also be a very powerful aspect of the project.

Duct Tape Marketing leans very heavily on the simple, effective,
and affordable association that people make with the use of duct tape,
but we try to avoid the idea of taping things together in a haphazard
fashion. Thus you won’t see rolls or pieces of tape slapped every-
where—although more than one designer has tried to go that route.

Explain What You Don’t Want
This is a category that few think to address, but it’s sometimes

easier for people to say what they don’t want than it is to verbalize
what they do want.

If you know that certain ways to portray your brand are com-
pletely out of the question, culturally, aesthetically, or otherwise, say
so loudly. You can always have a healthy debate with the designer, but

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