Da Vinci Marketing
Whether Leonardo da Vinci consciously encoded his paintings with hidden messages is debatable. That people centuries after his death would argue over the matter, however, is a testament to Leonardo’s gifts as both an artist and a thinker.
As marketers, we like to assert that our work is similarly a combination of art and science. To an extent, we’re correct. Good marketing requires statistical analysis to determine market opportunities, and it requires creativity to craft messages that drive preference and increase sales. We tend to run into problems when we try to combine the two to research what kind of messaging will resonate in the marketplace.
When we think “research,” we invariably want to gather as much statistical information as possible. Our instinct is to find the numbers behind a rational decision-making process among customers. Unfortunately, buying behavior often is irrational. And as more products become similar, if not commoditized, the decision by the customer only becomes more irrational. The best messaging research, then, is that which can uncover the product benefits and attributes that appeal to customer impulses. The question is: How to unlock these secrets?
Make assumptions
Messaging research often fails when it’s too broad. When research participants are asked to choose which of a wide range of attributes is “most important,” it’s likely that the top responses will reveal nothing you probably didn’t already intuitively know. For a financial product or service, invariably privacy and security are of paramount concern to customers. Similarly, for a complex product such as a computer, ease of use is likely to rise to the top.
Assuredly, the message is important, but simply telling customers that a product is secure or that it’s easy to use won’t convince most of them to buy. It’s something they expect, part of their checklist before they slide into more intangible, often unconscious criteria. If we are not afraid to make reasoned assumptions, we can put ourselves in a position to get far more-valuable data from messaging research—in short, data that lead to more compelling messages.
Focus on the details
Before we even start the research we’ve likely identified basic messages. But we also know that alone they aren’t necessarily going to drive preference. To determine preference drivers, we have two choices: 1) We can try to learn more about what these core attributes mean to customers, or 2) we can identify “secondary” attributes customers look to once their basic criteria have been filled.
In the case of direction #1, we approach with an understanding that concepts such as security, quality, and good customer service are open to wide and varied interpretation. We use research to explore these concepts further, to understand precisely what they mean in an effort to create messages that get directly to the heart of customers’ desires.
For instance, I worked closely with a large paper company where, not surprisingly, “quality” was of great importance. I interviewed 50 customers to understand the abstraction “quality,” so that we could create more-precise marketing messages. Nearly every one defined quality as “consistency.” Was every roll exactly the same? Did it run through the machines without disruption? These customers were concerned with up time; their businesses depended on it. They were not looking for a fine paper on which to write the Declaration of Independence. This insight allowed the company to focus its messaging and appeal to the real needs of their customers.
As for #2, we assert that the basic attributes must be addressed, but we also recognize the need for additional messaging that appeals to the more emotional buying decision. I worked with a large technology company to uncover just these sorts of themes. We interviewed a cross-section of potential customers to understand their expectations of technology and found that whether the person was an avid user of technology or a little hesitant, he felt that technology should be fun. Sure, it should be easy to use and help accomplish a specific task, but also it ought to be enjoyable. It appeared that everyone wanted to feel a little like a kid when using technology. It was evident that a sense of joy had to come through in the messaging.
Get personal
Whichever direction we choose, it’s desirable to have intimate conversations, whether one to one or in focus groups, that allow you to explore potential messaging themes in closer detail. Large survey-format market research is effective in determining trends but is rather ineffective at uncovering insights that can assist in developing compelling, differentiated marketing messages.
To create marketing messaging that drives loyalty and preference, we need to understand customers, and that can occur only through a direct, conversational format. But to do that, we need to make intelligent assumptions and focus our questions. We must recognize that messaging, while informed by deductive reasoning, is inherently a creative exercise aimed at connecting with the emotions of our customers. So like Leonardo, we use our understanding of anatomy as a foundation for the composition but never forget that, in the end, it’s a painting.
Todd Merriman is senior consultant at Group 1066, a New York-based strategic marketing firm.
