The Media is NOT the Message

by Steve Fodor

In reviewing a recent issue of Business-To-Business magazine, I was struck by the fact that just about every feature article covered how various marketers are utilizing social media in their marketing mix.

Wow, just think how much things have changed in just the last two or three years! There are so many new media venues for creating a dialogue about your brand with customers and prospects. What’s even more exciting is that these new marketing venues are still evolving.

But, then I was struck by one other article in this same issue. The title of the article, sandwiched between all the other articles explaining new uses of social media, was: “Emotional marketing triggers right response.” It was refreshing (to me, anyway) to read about how critical message tone is in marketing communications. Brands, after all, are like people. You like people because of how they act. How they treat you. Their personalities. Their shared empathy with you. And people associate themselves with brands the same way they associate with people they like and respect.

Tone in marketing communications is what expresses your brand’s personality. And though all the new and emerging social media venues can and do create more personal dialogues and relationships with customers, you must always manage the tone of your marketing communications.

All the new media options today present tremendous opportunities to reach out to more people, create new relationships and expand the reach and exposure for your brand. But regardless of how many new media options there are, or how cost-efficient they are, the media is not the message in creating brand loyalty. If your brand message lacks the right attitude or tone, more media just makes more noise.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nate/

Advertising or Public Relations?

by Steve Fodor

I’ve had the good fortune to work on both sides of the street in this debate. There always seems to be two kinds of people: Advertising and Public Relations people. PR people think advertising is a waste of money. Advertising people think PR is a substitute for not having enough advertising dollars. I even once heard someone say, “The difference between advertising and PR is that you pay for advertising and you pray for PR.”

Well, there’s some truth in that statement. With advertising, you have complete control over where and how many times your message is seen. You also have control over exactly what your message is. I don’t buy the argument that “advertising is not credible.” If you feel this way about advertising, I would suggest that you have a brand problem; not an advertising problem.

Public relations, on the other hand, does carry implied credibility because it’s the word of the media; not a paid advertiser. Public relations can change perceptions. PR can launch new products that may seem “unbelievable” if launched with advertising alone. PR can motivate public concern and participation in a cause. And, perhaps its most valuable role, PR can “manage” the public perception of your company’s brand.

There’s no “one” answer to the question of advertising or PR as a marketing strategy, though I get asked the question of “which strategy should we use” quite a lot. It’s even worse to think or say that, “we have a small budget, so we can only do PR.” Having worked on both sides of the street, I can say with experience it’s ideal to use both in your marketing mix to support a clearly defined and meaningful brand message.

There’s no one, simple answer to defining your marketing mix. But, a carpenter always has more than one tool in their tool box. A good carpenter knows which tool to use and when.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamees-y/

Moving at the Speed of Life

by Steve Badertscher

If you're like me, everything seems to be moving at warp speed during this time of year. Softball games here, baseball games there, helping the kids cram for final exams, and an endless list of graduation parties and weddings to attend, not to mention balancing all of that with the flurry of activity at work. (Which reminds me, there's also a few blog posts waiting to be written.) It brings to mind one of my mom's favorite little sayings: "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."


Well, I took a few minutes between all of those activities to watch this video I ran across on YouTube recently. I don't know if it helped me relax any from the current hectic pace, but it sure made me reflect on some of the reasons I feel like someone's constantly pressing the hyperspace button on the game of life. It contains some truly staggering facts and statistics that I'm sure you'll find fascinating. Enjoy!




Credit: Opening video at Radio Ink Convergence conference.

I Don't Believe Focus Groups

by Steve Fodor

I don’t believe them. And I don’t believe in them.

Quite a bold and definitive statement coming from a person that makes his living helping companies figure out their most effective marketing communications messages.

Actually, focus groups do have their place in the world of research. But not for defining marketing messages. Here’s why I say that.

Focus groups, by their nature, force rational responses. They typically last about an hour. And the respondents are asked a series of questions. Each respondent gets to comment. And around the room the moderator goes, asking each respondent to explain why they feel that way about a topic. The respondents are being asked to rationalize why they think or feel a certain way.

Though valuable for gaining perceptions into opinions, that’s not the way people respond to a marketing message.

Human beings are motivated by emotions first, then by rational thought. Biologically, it’s how the brain processes information. Scientific research has proven that emotion stimulates the mind 3,000 times faster than rational thought.

Yet, what do most marketing communications vehicles (in any medium) seem to focus on? Rational benefits. Price. Product features. The old “hammer” approach of pounding a longer list of benefits into people’s heads.

I’m not suggesting that marketing communications should be void of product features and price. But ask yourself this question: If your brand, or product, ceased to exist today, how would it affect your customers’ lives? What would they be missing in their daily lives or jobs if you were gone today? When you can answer that, you’re on the path to discovering the true emotional benefit your brand or product provides. And, ultimately, a much stronger position in customers’ minds.

Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/striatic/