It's a critical ingredient that is often overlooked in brand communications.
If you want a message that resonates and motivates people you need a certain level of skepticism if only to ensure you don’t breathe your own exhaust.
In other words, if we start to believe our own hype, we will miss opportunities to craft a superior message.
I love to infuriate my clients by continually asking them ‘so what?’ When looking at features and benefits.
Using what’s immediately obvious is both a safe and bold move because it positions you right alongside your competition. There’s no less value in doing it. However, there’s no additional value either. If nothing else there will be an expectation to be price competitive.
If you want to thrive and create interest, you will need to drill down and exhaust as many angles as possible.
However mad you think they might be if you want to create interest and get the attention you will need to find something that you think is controversial.
In a world where your customers are exposed to thousands of messages each day, this has become a necessity.
One of my clients proved to be a great example of how a relentless pursuit to find compelling value paid off.
They were good at what they did, were proven and had been in operation since the early 1980’s.
What did they do? Non-destructive testing.
So what?
It’s to help customers plan for downtime.
So what?
We can identify faults before they become a serious issue.
So what?
We can help companies save money, sometimes millions of dollars.
Interesting.
So what?
Faults can lead to fires, which could put peoples lives at risk.
Now we’re on the right track.
The ensuing tagline: For Asset, For Life™
All communications were sprung from that new concept. They were now in the business of helping to mitigate catastrophe such as death.
As with most companies, you rarely need to change what you’re selling; you need to give it a different perspective to jolt the market.
What new perspectives are you providing your market?
© Hamish Chadwick