IT COULD PAY TO BE NEGATIVE

When I initially broke Product Attributes down into three types, Physical, Performance and Negative, I was sure that Negative Attributes were not likely to be very influential among all the other elements in a Selling Proposition. I have recently become aware of a second function that makes me think we should look closer at the possible role they play. A well developed Negative Attribute can now become a powerful element in your Selling Proposition that sets you aside from your competition and TRIGGERS the purchase.

In the past, I have defined the Negative Attribute as a feature of the product that may be needed in order to overcome a potential negative. I said they are well known to most of us, No Preservatives, No Artificial Flavors, Won’t Leave Residue, Gluten Free, etc. My assumption was that they were only rarely needed and even then were expendable if the Selling Proposition was complex and already had an abundance of communication elements in it.  They don’t generally score very high when compared to all of the other communication elements yet curiously, consumers frequently insist on including them in the Selling Proposition. Why do they do that? Here is the answer.

For a long time, I have referred to what I call the operating state of humans. That state is “What’s wrong here?” By operating state, I am referring to their frame of mind. If you were just thinking to yourself “yes, but not me”, look more closely. This goes for you and I as well. We do it on a subconscious level constantly and jump into and out of it thousands of times daily. Its presence seems to vary on our mood or circumstance but I say it is always right there. I think it is a holdover from the days of the caveman when things went wrong on a frequent basis.

In the past, I recommended we be aware of this consumer behavior and avoid several things that will turn the consumer off simply by making it difficult to work through your Selling Proposition. Here is a short list:

-    Avoid a sentence with more than four words.

-    Avoid more than five key elements,

-    Communicate on an eighth grade level,

-    Make smooth transitions from element to element,

-    Avoid long words.

-    Avoid any word that may not be widely understood.

-    Avoid small type or anything else that may be difficult to see.

-    Make sure there is contrast in all graphics.

This list was built defensively. That is, with the attitude that one needed to be careful not to sabotage your own Selling Proposition. Now, there is a positively motivated action that I like much more.  A reason that offers an advantage over your competition.

Let’s assume you still check the above list to be sure you are not inadvertently turning the consumer off. What’s next is to find a negative attribute simply to satiate the operating state of your consumer. I believe if you do so they will lower their level of interest in finding an objective that will disqualify their purchase. This will be most effective on a product where you are relatively sure there are no Negatives in the consumers mind to overcome.

Let’s get creative for a moment. Let’s say you are selling an electric fan. It has in it a simple circuit breaker that is already required by law in case of a short.  Electric fans have been made this way for years. The consumer, on the other hand, has no fundamental fear of a short as they encounter the category.

The opportunity: The consumer approaches the category looking for a fan with little knowledge of how fans work. He scans several fans that boast similar performance features making the decision difficult. But when he encounters your Selling Proposition, it includes the words “Automatic short safety protector”. This line is intentionally worded similar to a “surge protector” that the world has come to accept as necessary. Now we have invented a Negative Attribute for our own use to set ourselves aside from our competition. Which one does he buy?

Continuing the thought, I have seen the line “gluten free” on food products that are completely inappropriate like preserves and juices. I suspect it was added by marketers who are hoping for a ride on that bandwagon.

The learning here is that in the endless quest to drive your competition crazy, three words at a time, take a look at the Negative Attribute. Your competition is likely unaware of this opportunity.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

HOW SEXY IS YOUR SALES MESSAGE…it makes a difference!

I discovered a long time ago that the most effective way to create a powerful Selling Proposition (sales message) is to break it down into separate communication elements and work on them individually. They include components such as Names, Generic Descriptors, Benefits, Attributes, Key Graphics and so on. I have come to learn that this area of study is not unlike that of quantum physics. Particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at Cern Switzerland crash atomic particles into each other at near light speed allowing scientists to evaluate the debris. Our Connectics^® process does pretty much the same thing without the crashing. We deconstruct the sales message into its basic components, and we work creatively at that level.

Working with the meaning that consumers assign to the individual communication elements has been the access to creating many new solutions for our clients. This is a world I have been exploring for at least eight years now. The rest of the marketing world continues to develop multiple complete concepts. Having done so they evaluate and modify each of them until they can agree on one to move forward with. That process now seems outdated to me. A side benefit of working with a deconstructed Selling Proposition is that I often find previously unknown factors, much like the Hadron scientists, that influence the buying decision. I will share one here.

Over the last two years I have come to suspect that gender may play a role in driving consumers to purchase particularly on products and services that seem to have no sexual overtone. I am now convinced that gender in fact always plays an active role in motivating purchase intent. I will share it here.

Let’s pretend for a moment that all products and services have a gender. Scan slowly, left to right, across the images below looking for the gender in each. It’s easy to see how the role of gender plays out on the Trojan condom package and the Playtex tampon package but what do you see on the Splenda and Tide packages? If gender plays a part in the two on the left, is it possible, in fact probable, that it also plays a role on the two on the right? If so, are marketers unaware of the role that gender plays on products thought to have no gender? I now have what I am reasonably sure is the answer to these questions. My experience is that gender does play an active role in motivating purchase intent irrespective of the nature of the product. 

I cannot share the exact experiences due to having signed non-disclosure agreements with my clients, but I have recently witnessed the following on enough projects (16) to conclude it is a valid marketing insight.

Below is the result of two exercises that I have been running with consistent results across multiple categories. Let’s say we are working with four different graphic presentations of a Selling Proposition, A, B, C & D. This could be a website home page, a billboard ad, a package, a storefront, a print ad etc. The first exercise determines which of the four is the strongest at communicating performance. Let’s say graphic A won. The second exercise determines where each layout falls along the gender scale you see below.

The highest performing Image always falls to the right of the 1 on the Masculine side of the scale. Others will typically be too feminine or too masculine. Mostly, they will be too feminine.

 

The learning here is, when you are not sure, keep your message and your image slightly masculine. I know you may not have the tools that I have that allow me to read each Selling Proposition, but you can use your best judgment. You can mock up each option and conduct your own research with friends. Simply show two at a time and ask which is the most masculine. You will be surprised by how consistent the responses will be. Read the results and choose the one you feel is somewhat masculine. By the way, almost all of the work I have done to date is with female consumers. They, as you are likely aware, make most of the purchase decisions and this is where this insight is most useful.

If you are marketing to males, this insight is an obvious one. In all of my experience, females are simply more secure in their sexuality than are males. Sorry boys, that is just the way it is.

Good luck!

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

How vague is your Selling Proposition?

My mother used to say; “I learn something new every day.” It’s an old and worn out cliché for sure. In my life, it developed into more of a challenge. It seemed both natural and necessary in order to ensure I stay relevant in business life and ahead of my competition. “Learn something new every day or go broke” is how it played out for me. Nothing could be more accurate in the global society we humans have created for ourselves.  If this sounds familiar, then you are human just like the rest of us. Having said that, what follows is a significant insight that I only recently picked up. I’ll share it here.

Below is a document that I use in the early stages of any project. It identifies all of the elements in a complete Selling Proposition (sales massage). We review it with clients to determine the elements we will include in our quest to develop their most powerful Selling Proposition. That includes revising a sales message currently in existence or creating one for a new business venture.

Over time I have become aware of how each of these elements work in distinct ways, and of the relationships that exist among many of them. This information has been gathered in a very special way that allows me to conclude they are absolutely valid.

Approximately ten years ago I invented a process of exposing element by element, the elements of the Selling Propositions of many different products and services. The projects ranged from cooking sauce to cat litter to condoms to video games and far beyond. In doing so I also tracked the results and observed how consumers reacted to them. These insights are powerful not because of their brilliance, but because of their origin. The more I dig, the more I find and the more I share them with those of you who have an appreciation for their value. Their value is that they are real and can be counted on.

What follows is a recent insight as a result of several client comments on the nature of the Benefits (highlighted in yellow), which I had recommended we consider in the development of their Selling Proposition. The comment was that they were too vague. The tendency was to want to work on them to have them be more specific. That, as it turns out, is not a good idea.

I say the function of the Benefit is to express what the consumer gets out of using the product or service. “Less Work” is a great benefit for sandpaper. Notice that less work is not about the product; it’s about the consumer/user. My client wanted me to be more specific, asking, “What does that mean?”

For a number of years now I have been creating Benefits and then driving them with Attributes (highlighted in yellow) that empower them, and watched the research scores soar. I use the sandpaper example frequently. LESS WORK when followed directly by “Cuts 3 times faster” and “Won’t clog” literally drives sales. All that is great, but here is what I did not know.

As a result of the client request, I went back through nine recent projects to review the nature of the benefits that scored well and they were all vague. I now know why.

Think of the Benefit and the Attribute as working together. The benefit comes first and acts as a bold claim. By itself, it has no credibility and is disbelieved. It’s perceived as just BS as far as the consumer is concerned. Followed directly by the supporting Attributes, the two work than as a unit and we know they literally drive purchase. Equally important, the benefit needs to be vague so it has broad appeal. As it becomes specific, it begins to eliminate consumers from consideration. It should act like a huge funnel that grabs the consumer and shoots them to the Attribute driver that closes the deal.

Also remember the proximity of these elements. If you locate them together on a package or in a commercial message, they will perform for you. If you spread them around the package or throughout the commercial, you will lose. I have had all this verified by observing research. This is very real. I work with the brightest marketing minds on the planet and even they often miss this.

Here’s a challenge. Now that you have read this, go check your sales message to see if you are conforming. My experience is that very few, less than 10%, of the sales messages I encounter daily, even contain a Benefit. Let alone use it in a powerful way.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

Free Enterprise is a Fundamental Law of Nature

I remember my marketing professor back in college explaining the fundamentals of Free Enterprise as if it were created at a prestigious university back in the eighteenth century by a group of learned professors. It was not. It is instead a law of nature that came into existence several thousand years ago in consort with the arrival of Homo sapiens on this planet. Furthermore, I suspect it has existed before that on other planets that were capable of sustaining intelligent life.

Isn’t that a weird thought? Consider the following:

As a guy who works with Free Enterprise on a daily basis, I spend significant time analyzing how it works with the idea in mind that I might get a leg up on all the other marketing minds in this great country of ours. We are, by the way, the marketing capital of the world.

With so much attention on Free Enterprise, I naturally began to wonder how and where it came into existence. There are those who would say we, in this country, chose it back in our formative years when we chose capitalism. They say we chose capitalism over a dictatorship, or socialism, or communism, or a monarchy or whatever else was available at that time. Those who chose capitalism back in those days characterized Free Enterprise as the mechanism that makes capitalism work. They would often say, “it’s the engine that drives it.” Again, they referred to as if it was somehow created to accommodate us humans. I suppose there is a modicum of truth in that point of view, but I think, it is to miss the true origin of Free Enterprise.

So, who is responsible for its` existence? Well, I say no one is responsible, but I know who caused it. I give all the credit to two people. They are and shall remain forever nameless.

I say one day, a very long time ago, there was one person on Earth. That was the first person and on that day there was no Free Enterprise. That person roamed around picking fruit, nuts and other food to placate hunger as it occurred. Life was pretty simple. In short order, because this person was intelligent, this person began to collect the food for future consumption. That was very logical and also very simple.

On another day, I’m not sure how long this took, but on another day, a second person showed on Earth. These two soon met and guess what? The second person looked at the first person and said, “you have what I want”. In that instant Free Enterprise was born. It only took two people. It was never going to happen with only one person and it will always be present until or unless somehow this planet once again becomes inhabited by only one person.

As more and more people appeared, they all continued collecting stuff and noticing the stuff of others. Notice how often you and I notice the stuff of others. That fundamental law of nature is the basis of all the “stuff” that we humans collect and exchange. As individuals, we have absolutely no choice in the matter of Free Enterprise any more than we can choose or not choose gravity. In populated areas of the world, gravity is no more prevalent than Free Enterprise. If you think not, try to stop it or try to find a populated place where it does not exist. There is no place on Earth where people inhabit that it does not function. Think about that. Not in prison. Not in a cult. Not in a commune. Not on the street. Or, anywhere else I can think of.

So what is to be learned here? First off, I think it is a great societal equalizer and is in the main responsible for the downfall of Communism, Socialism and all of the other “isms” that do not accommodate or acknowledge Free Enterprise into their systems. It is akin to trying to design and manufacture airplanes without accommodating or acknowledging the law of gravity. It simply can’t be done.

Secondly, I think it is useful to understand that no matter what down trends or, for that matter, up trends occur in the marketplace, the natural law of Free Enterprise will level the playing field. For instance, how far down can the stock market go? Is there a limit? You bet there is. I say it can’t go to zero or anywhere near zero because buyers will appear. They just will. For those of you who are feeling insecure with the current flakey stock market trends, take heart in what you just read.

Here’s the punch line and I suggest you stay present to it as long as you are selling anything (stuff) to anyone. It will serve you well. The ultimate and forever the strongest Selling Proposition is, “I have what you want.” Make sure you communicate, “I have what you want” and you will be successful…I guarantee it.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

MARKETING MORE FEAR AND INTIMIDATION

While traveling last week, I came across a second negative Selling Proposition that may well be the most negative I have ever encountered. It’s worth taking a look at. The question, of course, is always the same for me. Is this a marketing context that works, and if so, should I be looking for ways to use it?

I had just arrived at my hotel in New York City and was waiting to check in, when I noticed one of those over-stuffed brochure stands that seem to occupy space in every hotel lobby on the planet. It was stacked full of colorful brochures, all vying for me to take a tour or see any one of hundreds of New York sites. After a short time, one grabbed my attention. At first it was the bright letters in its headline but my interest soon turned to the headline itself. What it said. See if it gets your attention.

“How To Avoid The Four Worst Mistakes NYC Visitors Make.” This brochure was an absolute stand out among thirty or so others simply because it was so negative. All of the other brochures featured one fantastic New York attraction after another, and all were characterized as fun and exciting. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes and walk on. What were they thinking about when they printed that? The headline truly turned me off. I did not want to know more. I moved on toward the elevator. Then, I began to think like a marketer and did a 180 back to the brochure stand. I grabbed the brochure and stuffed it into my bag for later scrutiny.

It was only twenty minutes later that I had a chance to read further. I soon discovered the headline, while incredibly negative, appropriately set a tone for the contents of the brochure. It got worse!

The brochure was for a company called “On Board” and it boasted seven “amazing sights most NYC visitors miss.” Here is the list of the seven sights that the folks at On Board Tours want you and I to see while in the great city of New York:

1)  “Ground Zero”, of course.

2)  The chinks in the wall of the Morgan Bank building, remnants of a 1920 terrorist attack. What?

3)  The site where the US Air flight went down in the Hudson River. It’s just water. It didn’t leave a mark.

4)  The “Ground Zero” cross, of course. But I think I’ll see that when I see Ground Zero won’t I?

5)  The John Lennon murder sight. It’s been remodeled.

6)  The pier where the Titanic survivors were brought back. Not sure what to look for after all these years.

7)  The “Whispering Gallery” in Grand Central Station. How’d that get in here?

Enough of that. What about negative sales messages?

My experience is that the operating state of mind for all consumers is, “what’s wrong here.” They are literally looking for something wrong and when they think they see it, they will move on fast. When we build a Selling Proposition for a client, we constantly review the message at each step of its development to ensure we have not given them anything to find fault with. In fact, we have a clever way of exposing such things to target consumers and they reject them every time. We even have to be careful when using what we call “negative attributes”, which are those short little bursts of two or three words that seek to overcome a perceived negative in a product or service. An example would be adding, “Won’t leave a residue” on a cleaning product. As a marketer, do you use it or not knowing there may be a significant number of people you will have alerted to a potential problem when you thought you were solving one?

So, absolutely no, never go to the negative.  Stay away simply given the natural human tendency to make you wrong. Good luck and keep it positive.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

ARE FEAR AND INTIMIDATION VALID MARKETING TOOLS?

Over the years I have assumed that a negative Selling Proposition was a bad idea. This also seems to be the unanimous opinion of the corporate marketers I work with daily. I know from experience that consumers, in fact humans in general, all function with “what’s wrong here” as a general operating state. Yes, humans are looking for what is wrong. It seems only prudent to keep your message on the positive side and not give them any reason to find something wrong. Given that, I keep an eye out for such things just in the event there is something new to learn. In over twenty years, I have never used fear or intimidation in a Selling Proposition nor do I recall ever seeing it used by an established brand until now. I will share it here.

Several months back, I had occasion to develop an interest in the heart medication category and it was an eye opener. The category appears to be in the early stages of a credibility crises. I will begin with my close friend Dr. Mark Gordon, a medical doctor who is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of anti-aging medicine, and is more recently recognized for his breakthrough work in treating traumatic brain injury. This is the concussion issue we have all been hearing so much about as it relates to the NFL. This is a guy I can trust.

Recently, Dr. Gordon captured my attention when he shared that he has had a cholesterol level of over 280 his entire life and does not take statin drugs to lower it. He further shared that “approximately 50% of all heart attacks happen in patients with normal or low cholesterol and it’s a fact well known in the medical community.” Much to the dismay of the medical community, it has now leaked out into the general public and many people with high cholesterol levels have stopped taking statins. Currently the drug companies sell over 12 BILLION dollars worth of statin drugs annually. You have likely noticed the TV advertising push to keep sales up? It’s huge. If you want to learn more, here is a good place to start:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm

Here is what I know. There are multiple functional components to a statin drug, only one of which is cholesterol lowering. Based on the statistic I just quoted, that component would seem to be of no value. Given the complexity of the drug, the drug companies are faced with a dilemma. They can try to reeducate you and me in the details or they can simply try to “pitch” their drug and keep selling in the same old ways. As long as they are truthful, I have no problem with what they are doing. If you listen closely to their statistical claims, you will not hear two alike. There is a grain of truth in all of them but they are misleading and you and I don’t take the time necessary to check them out. Until we do, we will remain confused and they will continue selling their drugs.

One manufacturer has specifically targeted those of you who have stopped taking the drug by trying to intimidate you into returning…it’s Lipitor. Intimidation is present in their “Don’t Kid Yourself” campaign that is now in full swing. Check it out and see if you are offended at the way the man in this commercial delivers his closing line: 

http://www.lipitor.com/toolsresources/lipitorontv.aspx

I would love to know how this commercial was tested. It is not only full of misleading information, it is also risky from a marketing perspective because he is most likely talking down to a segment of the market. I wonder how large of a segment that is?

While researching this blog, I discovered two more interesting negative Selling Propositions. I will share both in next week’s edition and give you my coaching on negative Selling Propositions.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below

Dogs, Cats, Kids and Their Parents!

In over twenty years of targeting products and services to kids, I have also frequently been assigned the task of marketing to dogs and cats. The similarities and differences are not only interesting, they are often amusing. As it turns out there are far more similarities than differences.

As those of you who market toys likely know, the relationship between mom and her kids changes radically from pregnancy up through adulthood. I have worked with mothers on the Gerber brand who were vehement about what they allowed on the bottoms and in the bellies of their little darlings. Then, five years later I successfully marketed Totino’s Pizza Snacks and Bagel Bites for them to feed their kids after school. Go figure that.

While the stages along the way remained the same — baby, infant, toddler on up through tweens and teens — they have all matured greatly in recent years. I can recall when Barbie was a valid brand up through twelve or so. Now even the American Girls Collection is well below that in spite of a significant positioning effort to the contrary. Unlike boys, girls and their parents, dogs and cats have a very different relationship pathway with their parents.

While the fundamental nature of dogs and cats is different from kids, they are alike in that their parents treat all pets with a great deal of care in their initial stages of ownership. I can say with confidence, the abundance of love showered on both kids and all animals is essentially the same in its intensity. The difference is that the parents of pets seem to get even more attached and more protective about their care and feeding as they age. I don’t think dogs and cats will ever experience the joys of noshing on a Totino’s pepperoni pizza. Yes, the parent of an eight-year-old kid is far more careful about what they feed their pets than they are what they feed their kids. I can only guess this phenomenon exists because of the relatively helpless nature of pets as opposed to kids as they mature.

In recent months, I have become aware of the sensitive nature of the “home alone” phenomenon. It is generally accepted, and easy to understand, that you would never leave a child home alone. Guess what? There are twelve million small dogs in the US that are left at home alone and while that is not generally thought of as a terrible thing, their owners suffer tremendous guilt. These people love their dogs as much as parents love their kids, and due to circumstance are forced to leave them at home alone inside the house on a regular basis. They love the dog far too much to find it a new home and at the same time hate the fact that they leave it alone. This phenomenon is what I call a marketing opportunity.

So, next time you are store-checking toys, I recommend you consider driving to the nearest PETCO. The first thing you will notice is that pet marketers are no less thorough in providing products to accommodate pets than are toy marketers as featured in the kids department at your local Target. In fact, the categories are titled very much the same. Food, hair care, skin care, medical care, yes, toys too and most of them are segmented into appropriate age groups…just like kids.

The opportunity here is not in the products you will find, but in the characterization of their benefits, attributes and other positioning elements in their selling propositions. Pet owners see their pets very much in the same way the parents of kids do. They look for toys that allow them to participate in the play as well as toys that will entertain the animal without them having to supervise. They are concerned about the safety of the toy as well as how much “play value” is in it for the animal. And, there are toys that are used to educate. All of this should sound very familiar.

My advice is that you go from product to product and study the copy and graphics that are used to communicate. You will discover that many are similar to those used in the children’s toy category but you will also find new perfectly appropriate ways to characterize kids products that have been effective at stimulating purchase to pet owners.

A few years ago, I found the words “Outrageous Flavor” on a dog treat and used it successfully on a nationally branded kids cereal. It functioned successfully as a remarkable trigger, and scored very well in volumetric research. Good luck.

Cheers, 

Keith Chambers

Keynote Marketing Speaker
Creative Marketing Consultant
(310) 473-0010
www.chambersgroup.com

follow my blog by clicking one of the links below