For years, marketers
have been looking for “Wow”! They are referring to the reaction that a target
consumer will have to something they perceive as a breakthrough. An example
would be the first time you encountered a dry cleaner with a big sign claiming
all of their chemicals were “environmentally friendly” … WOW! Or the first time
you saw an ad for a Prius and they announced it would parallel park itself … WOW!
Or when Tide added Febreze fabric softener to their detergent…WOW!
I first heard it from
my clients in the mid 80’s and it became a cliché by the early 90’s. They also
referred to it as “New News” but wow continues to prevail to this day. Beyond
the wow factor I can tell you that it is far more important to determine
exactly where, within your sales message, the target consumer is making the
buying decision and treat it like the wow but I call it a Trigger. A Trigger by
my definition triggers a purchase reaction to your sales message. A Trigger
also by my definition does not have to be caused by a change in your product.
It can also be a change in your sales message. You can create a trigger. You
simply state something new about your existing product that appears as a
trigger and there are many ways to create one.
If you have hung
around me for more than five minutes you will have heard me site the example of
3M Sandblaster sandpaper. Let’s say you were clever enough to find a compelling
benefit like “Less Work” for sandpaper and you added an Attribute driver like
“Cuts 3 Times Faster” to it and voila, you have a trigger. In this example, we
add “Cuts Three Times Faster” to the ‘Less Work” and together they become a
trigger. It only becomes a trigger when they are joined together.
There exists a natural
tendency for marketers to want to play up a trigger if they feel they have
identified one. It is usually done graphically with a burst of color and large
type shouting the information as prominently as possible. Unfortunately, my experience
is that this is not the strongest way to use a trigger. In fact it is the wrong
way to use it. Here is why.
While creating a
Selling Proposition (sales message) it is smart to remember that it is no less
personal than a conversation with a stranger on the street. In fact, the
similarities are many and the differences are few. Notice that in a
conversation with a stranger, you cannot treat them as you would a friend. You
may be able to hug or pat a friend on the back but not a stranger. You simply
do not have the relatedness required to do so. If so how does this translate to
marketing?
I have observed for
years, that all humans operate from “what’s wrong here”. That means they, you
and I too, are looking for what is wrong. Notice when a stranger approaches and
begins to talk for no apparent reason, you initially think they are after
something and you become defensive. The same is true with a Selling Proposition
when it is first encountered.
The solution here is
that you should never start your sales message with a trigger, i.e.; if the
first thing you see on the package is “Less Work”, consumers will challenge you
immediately. The smart marketer will get related first by directing you to the
Brand/Product name as an attention getting graphic, and immediately flank it with
a Generic Descriptor. At that point the consumer is grounded and far less
likely to disbelieve your trigger. Now, they are ready to be pitched. Move them
on to the trigger, the Benefit/Attribute driver. The perfect sequence is first
The Sandblaster/sandpaper…then…Less Work/Cuts Three Times Faster.
The learning here is
clear. My concern is you will take this lightly. Be very clear, I now have
volumetric research evidence that this insight is valid. This one is easy to
screw up because many of us think we will be successful if we over shout out
the key feature of our product over all other communication. If you do, you
will likely suffer the consequences.
Good Luck,
Keith Chambers
Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com
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