Living on the edge

We would all agree that it’s a tough job getting our message across to our target consumers. Add to that a puritan (engineers) definition of communication which is considered complete only when it is interpreted by recipient in the same manner as intended by the transmitter (Prof B at my engineering college must be heaving a sign of relief)  and we are talking a steep slope that needs to be climbed.

As mentioned in one of my previous posts, the purpose of this blog is not to propound new theories, it is to present a perspective. So pardon references to Marketing 101.

Moving on, consumers today exposed perhaps over-exposed to messages of all sort. Thus to laden the expectation of decoding/deciphering our communication is expecting a bit too much. Moreover, pumping in marketing dollars hoping that he would is bizarre!

Most communication, even advertising operates on simple parameters we learnt in high school physics. Amplitude, wave-length and frequency.  In advertising terms how loud, how long and how often. Well yes we pay the agencies and other experts to do that bit.

The most important bit and hopefully as marketers we hold it close like dear life is the what.

Establishing any communication is, has been and perhaps always will remain an uphill journey. One must realize though that the other side of the cliff is a steep fall. The best time spent therefore, would be at the top living on the edge.

Living on the edge

What we communicate goes through the organic phases milestones on the climb that I have chosen to call Ignorance, Recall, Attention and finally the top Recommendation.

The other side however, is the steep fall which starts with the flip side of recommendation i.e. Frustration and very soon thereafter Annoyance.

It is important to note here that what are being discussed are the stages of the communication not the brand per se.

Bringing back the concepts of how loud, how long and how often a marketer would need to be careful with the communication once it has been established. Push it to loud, long or often chances are you will find yourself free-falling straight to annoyance.

To make my point how a communication is living dangerously on the edge and to bring alive the discussion I am leaving you with recent communication from a popular brand.

  • The start

http://www.cadburyindia.com/in/en/brands/pages/videoplayer.aspx?vid=1609

  • The build

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65ilZ8esAUs

  • The extension

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag68swbxQvc

  • The (un-necessary) stretch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WR844HP-yU