The concept of “messaging” these days seems to have jumped some sort of shark. A week doesn’t go by these days without an epic failure on the part of a brand or a politician strays “off message.” Hours are spent in boardrooms around the world pouring over data to come up with the perfect message, and then in one casual comment – poof! Consistency goes out the window. The problem today is that the “message” is probably the last thing a communicator (or politician) needs to focus on. You need to start with your audience.
1. Focus on the recipient, not on the sender.
Almost all of the major consumer brand fails in the last year were caused by brands not understanding how their messages might be received. It’s as if all these campaigns were cooked up in a tall Ivory tower entirely inhabited by AI bots and/or people who never venture out of their respective bubbles. From Bud Light to American Eagle to Cracker Barrel, there’s no shortage of examples of brands focusing on the delivery while misunderstanding their audiences.
Sure, they look at spreadsheets and demographic data, but maybe actually conversing with the humans you’re trying to persuade might be more effective. Listen to an episode of Sarah Longwell’s The Focus Group if you don’t know what I’m talking about. She actually goes out and sits and talks to voters. Alex Wagner’s Runaway Country might be another good example of actual listening. And yes, many brands conduct focus groups, but somehow, somewhere along the way, some of the voices in those focus groups are either ignored or their volume and passion is underestimated. And no, AI will not solve this problem. It will only make it worse,
2. You Need to Earn their trust.
Anyone who has ever managed risk communications (be it in a natural or manmade disaster) know the basic rules of getting people to listen to you in a crisis:
- People need to trust the source of information.
- They need to believe that there is a downside to NOT listening to you.
- They need to believe that there is a benefit to them if they follow your orders/suggestions.
- They have to believe that they are capable of doing what you are asking them to do,
So even if you’re just making an ad or writing a press release, keep this in mind. If they’re not going to listen to you in a natural disaster because they don’t trust you or don’t see the benefit or can’t do what you are asking them to do, why would they do whatever you are telling them to do in an ad?
3. Find some empathy somewhere.
A copywriter living in a studio in Brooklyn probably has very little in common with someone who lives on a farm in Iowa, but if they want their copy to be effective, they better find some common ground and/or some empathy somewhere. You don’t have to muck out the pig stye to understand that farmer’s needs, but you at least need to understand what might make their life easier, or at least what makes them excited to get up in the morning. (As a farmer in New Hampshire I wish for fewer rocks but would happily pay more for a shovel that didn’t break when I hit one.) Once you’ve actually listened to your audience, THEN sit down and craft a message built around their needs and interests.
4. Without information seeking there is no exposure
Research shows that individuals only absorb information when they think they need it, and it will benefit them in some way. Which is why breaking through the clutter requires more than just cleverness. Today people must be seeking (consciously or unconsciously) information in order for your messages to penetrate. Which is why most purchases still start with Google Search, AI-assisted or not.
Too often we get caught up in the process of creating the perfect message and an innovative way to deliver that message. But any good behavioral expert will tell you that humans today will not pay attention to your message unless they have a good reason to.
Think about it. Do you sit and stare at a TV car ad if you have no need for a car? No, the car ad comes on, and you decide you need another beer, or a potty break. On the other hand, if your car is about to die and you’re in the market for a new one, you might possibly pay attention.
5. Find someone trustworthy to deliver the message.
Just because someone is famous doesn’t mean that your audience will find that person a trusted source of information. Can you say Dylan Mulvaney? She might influence me, but not the average Bud Light buyer.
These days it seems like no one trusts anyone except their fellow SubRedditors or Pickleball teammates. So be it. Those might be your best messengers.
SparkToro is a great tool to discover trusted sources because it tracks where the people who are actually searching for whatever it is you’re promoting actually go. It also helps to ask your customers and prospects not “what do you read” because I wouldn’t assume they read anything but their email. I would ask them “what stops you from buying ____” and “what are the first three or four steps you take before deciding to buy ________.” Fill in the blanks with whatever you’re trying to promote and then ask them who they go to for more information.
6. Exposure doesn’t equal awareness or understanding.
I judge a lot of PR award programs, and most of them include dozens of entries that list “raising awareness” as the objective. I immediately jump ahead to the Results section of the entries. As soon as I see the words “impressions,” “engagement,” or—God forbid— “AVE” in that section, the entry goes straight into the dumpster. No matter how many trillions precede those stated results. As we’ve said so many, many times, impressions and likes do not equal awareness. Awareness can only be measured by asking people if they are aware.
And yes, “engagement” on a website or social page can indicate awareness, assuming its not BOT-generated, but you need to get buy-in from the CMO (and anyone else approving your budget) that social engagement is a valid proxy for awareness. You do NOT want to be laughed out of the room.
But more to the point, a goal of “awareness” is often a complete misnomer.
Does anyone actually need to be more “aware” of breast cancer? Of course not. Almost everyone knows someone whose had it. We may need more awareness of how to prevent it, or what to do if you find a lump, or how to contribute to fighting it, but we don’t need any more awareness of the disease. What we need is more knowledge about specific aspects of it.
But companies and brands seem to think that “awareness” is all that PR is good for and so they use “awareness” as a goal for PR even when they’re spending billions on paid awareness campaigns. But what PR is really good for is getting specific messages and positioning across. Which is why the goal should be “understanding of my messages or positioning, or belief in those messages. Maybe then they wouldn’t go off message quite so often.
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