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Speed Dial: 60-Second Marketing Insight Newsletter
Last week's Speed Dial pointed out that no matter how busy people are, they will make time for messages they find informative or entertaining. When your marketing communication planning "makes them think" or "makes them laugh", you can capture your target audience's attention in even the most highly-competitive environments. Last week, we saw several examples of brands that are comunicating information effectively based on their customers' "what's-in-it-for-me" perspective. This week, we look at marketing messages that entertain consumers through the effective use of humor.
To see this in action, check out the hilarious new Toyota Sienna viral ads (including "Swagger Wagon", brought to my attention by Sue Baldauff & Jennifer Christianson) and this terrific new Old Spice commercial series featuring Isaiah Mustafa (flagged by Andy Register). Aside from being a lot of fun to watch, these new ads are changing the way people think about the Toyota Sienna and Old Spice brands, and here's why: 1) An Honest Assessment. The marketers at Toyota and Procter & Gamble had the courage to take a candid, unflinching look at how consumers were perceiving their brands, and rather than rationalize or gloss over their findings, they addressed them head-on in their marketing communication planning. 2) An Authentic Approach. Since consumers felt that the Toyota Sienna and Old Spice had become tired & stodgy equities, that became the starting point for changing them into more relevant/appealing brands. Rather than trying to pull a fast one, these new ads treat their consumers with respect and intelligence by working from their existing brand perceptions. 3) One Step at a Time. With a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek approach, these humorous ad campaigns begin with broad strokes. They start by trying to change the overall perceptions people have of these brands. But as the campaigns play out, they move from communicating fuzzy brand image messages to driving home more tangible product benefits. And because they make us laugh, we're willing to let Toyota and Procter & Gamble take us along for the ride. Last week, we looked at how consumers make time for "what's-in-it-for-me" messages that inform and educate them. . . This week, we looked at the power of humor in entertaining consumers & effectively communicating our marketing messages. . . . . . and next week, in the final installment of this series on breakthrough marketing communication planning, we'll conclude with a look at story-telling and case histories, which are a a hybrid of information & entertainment- - and offer suggestions as to how you can effectively leverage this type of communication to reach your target audience. Thanks for joining me, and I'll see you next Tuesday! - Marie
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