Clear communication is a learned art (just ask my writing teacher in college), but at the same time has the added benefit of being simple in its finest form. Look for it and you'll see it in a snap. Ba da ba ba ba ... I'm lovin it. The quilted quicker picker upper, bounty. Expect more, pay less.
Great communicators are able to sift through the clutter, to sift through all the nosie and arrive at a simple, short, and emotional message. In today's highly competitive marketing world short and simple could not be more important. Take a look at TMZ.com or USA today ... or my all-time favorite, cnn. Its almost like American consumers want to be woken up every 7 seconds ... maybe we should start selling dancing monkeys for the kitchen counter top.
The three companies below, two new and one established, use different tools and methods to clearly communicate their message. Frequently they employ a small twist, and it makes all the difference.
1. Ebates - Cash in my pocket (instead of discount). I ran across these guys in a recent article on new web2.0 companies. The article discussed how google was considering advertising models that offered partial compensation to users for clicking on adds (sorry, not yet folks). Ebates is currently utilizing this model in its online store. The name, ebates, communicates rebate + internet. The pages are organized by how much you get back for each product purchased. While Amazon may offer 20% off the new Harry Potter book, Ebates pays you to buy things off their website.
2. Real Age - You are infact younger than you get credit for (instead of health information). Don't prevent aging affects, return to how you feel, to your youth! If I remember correctly these guys were just bought by a private equity shop. Again, why listen to your doctor or health planner when you can have Oprah tell you how young you actually feel (that show is a lot more about youth ideals than it at first appears ... its the second - or first - youth for the housewife). (Small side note, this is whats so brilliant about Adam Werbach's new environmental plan with WalMart employees, he keeps its personal, emotional ... don't attack the world, improve your own life first. Its personal and its sharp.)
3. Abercrombie & Fitch - Sex (instead of sexy clothes). Walk into one of their stores. Go ahead, I know its painful, just try it. It hurts, I know, but its simple, short, and emotional. Take one of those posters home with you and put it in your bathroom. My dad said last week, and this is really strange if you know my dad, that sex is used in selling every product except no product. Own a component of design (or in this case messaging) and leverage it at the expense of the other components. Its how you want to see yourself down the road...
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Ebates is one of my favorite online rewards companies. They are great at communicating offers to members when it coming to online shopping. My all-time favorite is iBakeSale.com which has all the stores and offers of an eBates but communicates the offers in the context of online fundraising dollars for charities, religious groups, schools etc. Abercrombie is amazing at how they sell sex too. It's effective but kind of shameless...
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