As someone who focuses on the strategy side of marketing, I am frequently contacted by marketing companies for input and/or a second opinion. More often than not, what the marketing companies are looking for is a second set of eyes in terms of their approach with respect to a particular client. In other words, if marketing strategies were different kinds of tools, you would want to make sure that the tools you selected matched the job at hand. Makes sense? GREAT!
The most common problem with regard to the marketing of ALL businesses and companies (from a lemonade stand to a Fortune 500 company) is that the companies often embrace marketing strategies THAT WORK, but may not be congruent with the needs of the company and/or the company’s product or service. To make matters worse, many businesses embrace “the latest and greatest” without actually doing a comprehensive analysis to determine whether or not it may be appropriate for their category and/or positioning.
Not too long ago, a company that makes marketing products for dentists contacted me for a second opinion with regard to their development of a new line of posters for dental offices. I was very surprised by their call. I was actually hired by them two years past, but it was not a pleasant experience. Like many folks who call themselves “MARKETERS,” they started the conversation by telling me how “right” they are about their strategy. In other words, they started our relationship by telling me that they welcomed my opinion…err…just as long as it agreed with theirs.
If I disagree with most “marketing masters,” they throw out five or ten examples of who they know that is using their strategy and making lots of money. To me, that’s like arguing that a chiropractor who does a dog and pony show for his patients (i.e. “POW…You are now unsubluxated, which means the cancer that I thought you had two weeks ago…IS NOW GONE!”), and who makes lots of money, is PROOF that a “dog and pony” strategy absolutely, positively works.
In some cases, these “marketing masters” have been very quick to cite the number of times that they’ve been published in business magazines. My response is, “So what you’re saying is that, because you submitted an article to a magazine and they accepted it, everything you do or say must therefore be THE WORD?” They just look at me as if to say, “Oh my god – someone just called us on our lack of logic and reason. Now what do we do?”
OKAY…
So I told this company that there are 8 ingredients that are REQUIRED in designing a powerful poster. If you don’t have all 8, then the poster will not be effective. You can’t just have 7 ingredients and BELIEVE that you may not do as well, but you’ll still do well (lol). That makes no sense. Additionally, scare tactics similar to those used in the chiropractic poster that shows a person going from walking upright to being confined in a wheelchair, are not only unintelligent, but thoughtless and insensitive with regard to those folks who are blessed to have the means to get around (via wheelchair) due to their disability.
This marketing company’s line of posters did not have even half the ingredients. They weren’t even close. The problem is that they looked at a competitor’s line of posters, and basically did a “remanufacturing” in order to create their own. When your marketing materials are not designed in a that does not render the intended result, then your marketing materials SUCK. It doesn’t matter how “cool” and “slick” they may be; if they do not get the job done, then they are worthless. The 8 ingredients of a perfect poster are components of a strategy.
A poster is a visual messenger. It should be designed to elicit a response from the human brain. Pretty colors may stimulate the brain, but stimulation doesn’t always lead to the desired action/result (although it does lead to something…LOL). A poster must be coordinated with other branches of your marketing. Just because they look similar (branding) DOES NOT mean that they work hand-in-hand. And this is where even graphic designers (except for Mike) get mixed up.
Interestingly, the best graphic designers KNOW when they need a strategist, and the “lesser” graphic designers figure that they have it all figured out. They just read a few trade magazines and then follow the rules of design. What they don’t understand is that the rules of design are not necessarily in sync with the stated marketing strategy.
If you’ve gotten this far, then you realize that this blog isn’t just about posters. It’s about everything that falls under the heading of marketing. And…it’s about EVERYTHING in life. No matter what field you’re in, no matter what you do, STRATEGY is everything. Let’s say that you have three strong components of a fundraising campaign. When A + B + C are not in sync, then from the onlooker’s perspective, A appears to be weak, B appears to be weak, and C appears to be weak. A lack of strategy actually has the potential to subtract from three uniquely strong components.
The POINT: Make sure everything you are doing – in ANY area of life includes components that complement each other and work together to have the maximum impact and outcome.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc & The Mind Virus Team