It doesn’t matter how well-planned or high-quality your marketing campaign is – it’ll only work if the right people encounter it.
The automotive industry’s approach to sports sponsorship gives us some fantastic examples of targeted advertising. BMW cars tend to be aimed at the higher end of the market, so the company targets its sponsorship at sports enjoyed by a more affluent audience – such as golf and sailing.
Mass-market brands, on the other hand, target the sports which have the largest audiences of ordinary people – such as soccer. Hyundai and Chevrolet, for example, spend heavily to be involved with the FIFA World Cup and Manchester United, respectively.
Premium tire manufacturers also target their advertising. Pirelli, Michelin and Goodyear market their products through supplying motor sports series, because people who are interested in watching fast cars are more likely than most to care about having performance tires on their own vehicles.
Marketing doesn’t have to be about simply putting your brand in front of the maximum number of people. Targeting a smaller, but more relevant segment of the market, can often be better.
#1. Consumers Need a Reason to Choose You
Simply making a nice-looking ad to tell people your product is wonderful, life-changing and super, then telling them to buy it won’t work. You need to tell them why it’s all those things – and why they should opt to do business with you, not a competitor.
Samsung’s S6 model was not a success, with many fans of the brand complaining that features they liked about the previous model – MicroSD support and waterproofing, for example – had disappeared.
So it should come as no surprise that the return of these features is highlighted in Samsung’s commercials for its new S7.
The ad is nicely made with some good imagery, but above all it is informative. It essentially tells customers, “You should buy this phone instead of someone else’s because,” then lists a string of key factors in any handset buyer’s decision-making process.
What does that decision-making process look like for your product? Think about it, and ensure you make it clear to your customers that what you’re selling meets their needs.
#2. Your Customer’s Need Could Be Emotional
According to Psychology Today, research reveals that the emotional response of a consumer toward an advertisement has a greater impact on their intent to buy it than the information contained within it.
Coca-Cola is one of the many companies taking advantage of this, building its recent marketing strategy heavily and openly around emotion. The “Taste the Feeling” campaign places little or no emphasis on what the product actually is, instead featuring ads designed solely to link the brand with positive experiences.
Information still matters, of course, and in some markets it will always rule the roost. But often, especially where it’s difficult or impossible to convey a genuine unique selling point of the product, triggering the right emotional response is the key.
If consumers associate your brand with positive feelings like happiness or pleasure, they’re far more likely to invest in your products.
#3. Two Heads Can Be Better than One
Most companies carry out advertising campaigns and marketing work alone. Commercials tend to be for a single product; if an advertisements features two products, they’re almost always from the same brand.
But going it solo isn’t the only way. Intel, for example, often teams up with computer companies to promote their chips – an approach which has turned the company into a household name, and turned an Intel chip into a must-have for many computer buyers.
Teaming up with another company has numerous benefits, including closer ties and maybe even favorable terms – and through the association, the good reputation of each company can rub off onto the other.
Consider who your suppliers and vendors are, and think about products that complement yours. Let’s say you’re marketing a torch – might a battery-maker be interested in covering some of your costs to be included in your promotions?
#4. Different Can Be Better
Certain products and services tend to be advertised in certain ways, and you may feel under pressure to have your own marketing follow the established formula. But you really shouldn’t, because doing something different can and often will make you stand out from a crowded pack.
Advertisements for male shaving products tend to feature an attractive man, either using or having used the product. Often, an attractive woman will appear soon after and respond in a positive manner.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Being more attractive is the main reason why men use shaving and grooming products, so this sort of advertising makes sense – it appeals strongly to the correct emotions.
But the Dollar Shave Club went against the stereotype in its breakthrough marketing campaign – there wasn’t a bathroom, mirror, model or blade in sight. The result was one of the most successful small-business viral advertisements of all time.
Great campaigns are the ones that stand out the most, often by being very different to others produced by the same industry. So don’t be afraid to try something a little bit unusual – there is always more than one way to sell.
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