Viva’s Blog: The Power of Frequency

We meet with so many companies that believe changing the look of their marketing materials and web site is the panacea for slumping sales. Savvy marketers realize that to be effective they must first uncover why anyone would want to buy from them and then repeat the same compelling and differentiating messages in the same manner, over and over and over again.

Companies that are constantly refreshing how they market themselves are brands that don’t stand for anything in the consumer’s mind. It’s a costly approach that often leads to failure.

De Beers Diamond Company shines when it comes to repeating its core message. How many times have you heard “A Diamond is Forever”? What comes to mind when you hear it?

That headline has appeared in every single De Beers ad since 1948. The diamond engagement ring is one of the biggest assets of a married couple’s relationship, yet it’s worth about 50% less than what the consumer paid for it the moment they leave the jewelry store.

So why do we feel compelled to buy them? It started when N.W. Ayer, an ad agency founded in 1869, created a multifaceted marketing strategy that changed social attitudes about diamonds. Their extensive research found that diamonds were considered a luxury reserved for the super wealthy. To sell more diamonds, De Beers had to appeal to consumers at many income levels.

Their solution? Strengthen the tradition of engagement rings and transform public opinion about diamonds from precious stones to a visible demonstration of one’s long-term commitment. Then, find a way to emotionally connect with their audience and repeat the message again and again.

Miller Brewing Company created a whole new market by identifying a unique selling proposition and then repeating it. It was 31 years ago when “Great taste, less filling” was introduced. The line was bold. It took a common perception, that lite beer didn’t taste good, and teamed it up with a phrase “less filling” that presented beer drinkers with a plausible justification for lower calorie, lower alcohol beer. Sales soared. Running a multifaceted marketing program featuring the same message in clever campaigns with retired athletes, coaches and celebrities was a huge contributor.

Absolut Vodka took a different route to differentiating their brand from the competition.  Absolut smartly leveraged the most basic thing they were selling – a container– and created the most recognizable bottle in the world. Absolut’s packaging has effectively helped differentiate the brand in a way that’s hard for competitors to challenge. In fact, Absolut’s ad campaign featuring their bottle as the hero is the longest uninterrupted ad campaign ever. The bottle has appeared in over 1,500 separate ads. You’re picturing one now, right? Why? Because they’ve so brilliantly kept their packaging and the design of their iconic ads consistent.

Absolut was a small player mustering only about 2.5% of the vodka market when the campaign launched. Fast-forward to today and they are the #2 vodka brand in the U.S.

Don’t have a budget like De Beers, Miller or Absolut? Then sharing the same meaningful and relevant message with your target audience over and over again is even more vital when it comes to building your brand.

Starting from scratch every time one of your marketing professionals writes copy for a new marketing piece – be it a landing page, sales sheet or customer service response – is antithetical to brand building. The result of this inefficient approach? Every time your target audience sees one of your ads they have to figure out what’s it’s for, who it’s from and why they care (if they’re still reading it). Stop the madness. Conduct the research to figure out why a target customer needs to buy from you and then craft the language and visual presentation of the message. Then repeat it and repeat it and repeat it. Still not convinced? Read this blog again.

Read more Viva’s Blogs at www.VivaLaBrand.com