| Self-admiration. Boasting. Talking about oneself. | | | | decades-long experience we fully understand our |
| Think how you would rate a person displaying these | | | | client's business - but somehow that understanding fails |
| characteristics. | | | | to seep through into their marketing materials. (Note |
| Listening. Wanting to help. Taking the other person into | | | | the tone: in an 11-word sentence, this advertiser |
| consideration. | | | | managed to slip in "we" 3 times. How many "you"s?) |
| What would you think about a person like this? | | | | Laziness used correctly is to avoid doing things in more |
| Imagine you're on a date. The surest way to kill a | | | | complicated ways than necessary. Or planning what |
| budding relationship is to talk about yourself and your | | | | you do, for example designing your marketing |
| achievements all the time. Why then do many - if not | | | | materials, in modules. Then you can combine standard |
| most - companies, even those considered the top | | | | components in various ways to quickly build just the |
| dogs in their business, insist on marketing themselves in | | | | right message for any situation. |
| this self-destructive way? Are marketers really | | | | Benefits trump features |
| incapable of applying things they've learned in their | | | | Please allow some elaboration. "Our product features |
| personal lives to their professional lives? | | | | this, that and the other" is a feature. Every feature |
| How customer-oriented is "we"? | | | | leads into an advantage. Every advantage brings a |
| Some articles I recently read said the worst mistakes | | | | benefit. |
| you can make in marketing and advertising were | | | | An example. Feature: A power drill has rubber handles. |
| things such as "seeing all people over 45 as a | | | | Advantage: Less fatigue to the operator's hands and |
| homogeneous mass" or "underestimating your target | | | | arms. Benefit: More holes during a shift. Because it's |
| group". Wrong. The single worst mistake in advertising | | | | the holes we're after, isn't it? |
| and marketing is gazing at your own navel. | | | | You got it, almost. Not only the holes, but the project |
| Take a look at almost any company's marketing | | | | getting finished sooner, which will bring in better profit. |
| materials. How many times do you find expressions | | | | With power drill handles, an insignificant detail in |
| like "we", "our" or "our company" or something similar? | | | | themselves, as one component of that profit. Which do |
| Compare that with expressions showing that the | | | | you think the customer is more willing to buy: rubber |
| company really cares about its customers, puts itself in | | | | handles or better profit? |
| the customer's position, wants to solve the customer's | | | | Of course this example is made up, rather far-fetched |
| problems, or even understands the customer's | | | | and doesn't consider the interests of all the people |
| problems. The most amusing thing - or tragic, | | | | involved in the buying process. The idea, however, |
| depending on the angle you're watching from - is that | | | | probably became clear. |
| a company has no scruples about saying "we are | | | | Are you having a talk or giving a speech? |
| customer-oriented" or "we supply solutions tailored to | | | | In addition to proving a limp marketing effort, the "we" |
| the customer's needs" and in the next sentence goes | | | | attitude may totally defeat the purpose of your |
| happily on about how great "we" are. Any paradox | | | | marketing. People aren't generally very interested in |
| here? | | | | what someone shouts over the crowd from a |
| At least for a quarter-century, the time I've been in the | | | | pedestal. They are much more willing to have a |
| marketing communication business, it has been | | | | face-to-face talk. There's no reason why your |
| repeated over and over again how important it is to | | | | customer would think otherwise. |
| put yourself in the position of your potential customer | | | | That's why all your marketing stuff needs to talk to the |
| and talk to the recipient of your message. During this | | | | customer instead of about you. Remember also that if |
| same quarter-century, scores of marketing BSc's | | | | you're supposed to be having a friendly talk, the |
| have graduated from business schools, but when they | | | | customer is not "our customer", she is "you". |
| get their first job, they don't hesitate to throw the | | | | What's the solution then? |
| customer orientation education they just finished into | | | | First, an internal review of the marketing messages |
| the waste bin and start to repeat the | | | | might be in order. What are we selling? What are its |
| how-great-our-firm/product/service-is mantra. | | | | features? What kind of advantages can be derived |
| Don't get me wrong - I do understand that even the | | | | from the features? How does it benefit the customer? |
| most enlightened marketing people often find | | | | And if we want to be really ultra-customer-oriented, |
| themselves between a rock and a hard place. The | | | | we might turn the question the other way round: |
| management floor is filled with Very Important People | | | | "What does the customer really want? How could we |
| who all have their own opinions on how marketing | | | | modify the product or service we know inside out to |
| really should be managed. Or the corporation is run | | | | fulfil her particular need?" |
| from abroad, and the head office forces you to | | | | Second, you select the right partner to design and |
| translate their boilerplate materials without the slightest | | | | produce your marketing materials. Someone who |
| consideration for the special conditions of your home | | | | understands what you're trying to achieve. Who is able |
| market. Yet, you need to overcome these obstacles. | | | | to ask the right questions, sometimes a little |
| Many times, marketing is as much internal as external. | | | | embarrassing, such as "and how does this benefit the |
| Even more surprisingly, there are scores of advertising | | | | customer?" or "what the heck does that mean in |
| agencies, supposed to be experts in marketing | | | | practice?". Who focuses on how the end customer will |
| communications, who just seem to provide pretty | | | | benefit instead of what the advertiser knows or does. |
| layouts for the we-we-we liturgy supplied from above. | | | | Who understands that the target audience is "you". |
| They never question the message of their client, let | | | | Then you brief this partner thoroughly and honestly, |
| alone bother to find out what the client really needs, | | | | forgetting all beautification. You should also be willing to |
| despite or in addition to his wishes. | | | | consider suggested solutions that do not follow the |
| Laziness is a virtue only if used correctly | | | | "this-is-how-we-have-always-done" tradition. |
| The We syndrome is laziness in its most unproductive | | | | In a nutshell: Be an innovative realist. After all, you're not |
| form. Of course, it is easiest just to tell what we do, let | | | | doing marketing and advertising to make your own |
| the customer figure out whether and how it can | | | | company's salespeople or management happy. You're |
| benefit her. A couple of sentences before, the | | | | marketing to make the prospect buy. |
| advertiser has probably stated that based on our | | | | |