Page 126 - Duct Tape Marketing

110 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus

Here’s an example using the diet soda mentioned in Table 8-1: Diet soda has
one calorie (that’s the feature) which means you can lose weight and look and
feel great (that’s the benefit).

Naming your “have-to-haves”

Ad designers call it “death by a thousand cuts” when marketers respond to
every creative presentation with, “Yes, but we have to include. . . .”

If you know that you need to feature a certain look or specific information or
artwork, say so up front — not after you see the first creative presentation.
And keep the list of have-to’s as short as possible. Here are some guidelines:

ߜ Have-to #1: Every communication has to advance your brand image
(refer to Chapter 7 for information about defining your image). Provide a
copy of your image style guide whenever you assign a staff person or out-
side professional to help with the development of marketing material.

ߜ Have-to #2: Be sparing with all other have-to’s. Every time you start to
say, “we have to include . . .” stop and check yourself with this self-test:
• Is this element necessary to protect our brand?
• Is it necessary to protect our legal standing?
• Is it necessary to prompt the marketing action we want to achieve?
• Is it necessary to motivate the prospect?
Let necessity — not history — guide your answers.

Deciding how you’ll measure success

Small businesses are critical of their marketing efforts — after the fact.

After an ad has run its course, you’ll hear such criticism as, “That ad didn’t
work, it didn’t make the phone ring, and it sure didn’t create foot traffic.” Yet
if you ask to see the ad under question, you’ll find that it includes no reason
to call, no special offer, a phone number that requires a magnifying glass, and
no address whatsoever.

If you want consumers to take action, set your expectation before the con-
cept is created and define your measurement standard in your creative brief.