From Promotion To Emotion

Advertising and marketing used to be a one-way connection. Old-school ad execs on Madison Avenue telling the masses what they needed. It's a floor polish. It's a dessert topping. It will make your life better. No questions, please.

The times they are a-changin'. Now we are living through a revolution where the world is more “connected” than ever before. But with enhanced technology comes a never-ending stream of content and noise force-fed to consumers. To survive this “on-line onslaught,” people have become more selective to what (or who) they let in. As a result, brands must now connect on a more human level. They need to be seen as a trusted friend ... not a faceless automaton. People don't buy from companies. People buy from people.

Today's winning brands listen to the world around them and are open to their customers' input (which is given freely and often.) Marketing is a mix of art & science. Combining data with storytelling and human intuition. When crafting your story, here are some techniques to use for content creation and real-time engagement:

  • Be conversational – Remind your prospect that it's just you and him/her. The language here would be as if you are sitting down for lunch with a customer. For example, thanks to successful marketing, no cookie has more personality than Oreo. See Example.
  • Be empathetic – Show your audience that you “get them” and understand the daily challenges that they face. Lowe's Vine “Fix in Six” campaign is a great example of helping consumers with daily challenges. See Example.
  • Be inspirational – Highlight how you make lives better. For example everything that Apple does is based off of this philosophy from Steve Jobs: “Your customers dream of a happier and better life. Don’t move products. Enrich lives.”
  • Be funny – A clever laugh or the vulnerability of humor is an efficient way to earn trust and loyalty. Here's a humorous example from Samuel Adams. See Example.
  • Be real – To err is human. You will make mistakes. Live up to your mistakes, own them. There's no better example than Netflix's change to its DVD-by-mail business, which the CEO honestly lived up to. See Example.

So how do you get started? Well, this connection isn't made overnight. You have to deliver an authentic story consistently. It's hard work. It's about making the choice to live your brand, both internally and externally. How are you interacting with your customer? Brandner Communications can help you make it personal.