Being direct... AdVantage Jul 2005
Telling People What They Want to Hear?
Successful marketers know when and how to make promises ... but they should also know if the
delivery side of the equation is wanting ... promises alone will not guarantee ongoing support!
Last month I commented on a recently published extensive study into brands and the meaning of individual brand relationships to the people who choose to buy those brands. More specifically, I highlighted some feedback from this study that pointed to the role that the delivery side of the equation has on on-going brand support.
In addition, as part of the previous month's comment I described my recent experience attending a workshop which focused on the role of emotion in marketing, and which featured Robert Heath and Roy Langmaid. Robert Heath's work is currently evoking extensive comment internationally, but I promised in that column to give feedback on Roy Langmaid's contribution - on some future occasion. I hope I can do this promise some justice today.
Roy is a wonderful teacher and this event in Cape Town was the second time that I had had the pleasure of participating in one of his workshops. He started this session off by asking us: how much time do we in the marketing and research industries actually spend preparing ourselves to work with, analyse and understand emotion?
He went on to explain how he - like so many practitioners in our business - had engrossed himself in the many varied aspects of the marketing and marketing communication process, until he found some answers to his really BIG questions: 'What's really happening?' and 'What really matters?'
He believes the answer to the first is that over the past 20-30 years society has moved from a culture of dependency to one of autonomy. This means that the concept of respect for authority and even corporate longevity has been superseded by respect for individuals and inward-looking business. We have moved from homogeneity to heterogeneity; from convergence to divergence; from that's the way we do it around here to …it doesn't work for me! Choice has become almost overwhelming, and even the exponential explosion of new technology aimed at the individual - has been one of the drivers of this revolution. We have started to get to a world in which choice itself - is becoming demotivating.
As evidence of this he quoted a study in which two samples of a taste test group were compared. In the first group condition (a) existed: 6 varieties of jam were available for tasting. In the other group condition (b) meant that 24 varieties of a jam were available for tasting. They were matched samples and in both tests all jams were available to the respondents for purchase. Which sold more? Well, the large array attracted more people; both arrays tasted the same average number of jams; but 30% of the small array actually bought a jar; while just 3% of those exposed to the large array bought.
Roy suggested that a combination of socio-political factors such as 9/11 and the threat of terrorism; Strangers; Immigrants; Asylum seekers (all potentially from the outside) and Fat cats/Financial swindles; Crime; the pensions crisis; lawlessness (all potentially from the inside) are contributing to an overwhelming (emotional) sense of complete insecurity - amongst ordinary people!!
In proposing his answer to the second question: What really matters?, Roy said: PROMISES! In an increasingly diverse and uncertain world, the question on everyone's mind is: What can I count on? Who can I trust? Whose promises can I believe?
Because of factors like this, some marketing companies have yet to grasp the (forgive me for actually using the damned word) paradigm-shift that is taking place within the minds of individuals in the markets they attempt to influence! Many of them remain locked in the mindset that suggests media audiences for their ads are merely WAITING - like mindless walking wallets just to respond to their promises. It's not that marketing shouldn't make promises - it's just that many of the promises are simply not aligned with what may be on people's minds.
To give you another example: this past week has seen the final outcome of the general election just run in the UK, and it left me pondering over the lessons to be learnt about human behaviour - perhaps through drawing some parallels between selling brands and selling politics.
When Tony Blair announced that he was popping into Buckingham Palace to request the British monarch to rubber stamp the dissolution of parliament - in order that an election could be called, it heralded the beginning of a hectic four week period of promises, promises, and more promises.
All the way through a four year term the government and the opposition spend most of their time in a big room arguing about who's right and who's wrong. They then use their majority to do what they think is right, and pay scant attention to their constituents. Until it's time for elections.
Then they make promises to try and get as many people to vote as possible. It is no surprise at all to me that the British electorate has become disenchanted with this particular political game. 'What's the point', the voters say, 'the parties just want to get elected!' 'They actually don't care about the issues that are of greatest importance to ME'. They make promises to us …but they don't actually listen to us!! Now that the results are in…everybody has lost to a greater or lesser extent! Labour; Conservatives; LibDems; and of course the British people themselves.
It really is time that marketers of political support, not to mention marketers of products and services - should take the time to think about the insecure environment of modern life, and do more to help their supporters/customers really FEEL that their feedback actually matters!