Once upon a marketeer

New Delhi: In my not-so-extensive advertising career, I’ve seen, heard, loved, hated, and slept with (metaphorically speaking, of course) dozens and dozens of brand managers, custodians, brand owners, etc. 

The know-it-alls, the ‘Humare Zamane mein’ types, the been-there-done-that, the Modest, the Gurus, the listeners, the talkers, the mainline moonwalkers, the digital trendsetters and so on. 

The viability of any campaign depends a lot on which one of these you are or you encounter. Exposure to this spectrum has made me better in every way. They’d give me the what and why, and I’d give them the when and how. And just like any marriage, there isn't a right or a wrong way; it is about hand in hand with the best feet forward. Here is how I believe we can cut the noise and get back some not-so-common common sense. My article isn’t an epiphany; it’s just a jolted reminder.

Get set, repeat.

As marketers, we get bored with our ideas sooner than most of our audiences. As advertisers, we exist to solve, to manufacture a need and to own the winds, as they say, which is owning the larger narrative and being a part of the whispers too. But most whispers are sneaking up to your audiences everywhere they look and turn. So whatever you’re saying, some are probably hearing, but most aren’t listening. So say it again and then again. Think about a campaign that has stayed with you. Then think why, and you’ll know what I’m conveying here. Exhaust an idea with all possible avenues. Hit all targets before you retarget. Over-burn isn’t really over-burn here. If you hear a song too many times, it sticks harder. It’s free will that we’re trying to win over, and it is stubborn. Consistency will allow communication to penetrate the dense content consumption of your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Be the habit.

The flamboyant juggler trying to juggle ‘How many’ instead of ‘how well’ – that's digital advertising. It’s like the biggest Hamleys you’ve ever experienced. A marketer is overwhelmed with what is on the table. We try to exhaust all the science and tech available for the ultimate persuasion. Astrophysics has simpler concepts. While the flutes sometimes play the right tune, the pivot shouldn’t be on murky grounds. So remember, all of your media strategies and platform tools are about getting a person to adopt your offering as a habit. It’s either by creating a new one or by trying to latch onto an existing one. At a fundamental level of human behaviour, we’re made up of habits. If you want me to have a biscuit, tell me when to have it, where I should sit, who I should share it with, who I should not share it with and how I should consume it. What does it do for me? Hunger, convenience, taste uplifter? Does it make my Tea awesome? Does it assure me that whenever I’m on the move, I will never go hungry? Or does it simply enable great conversations? Is it the favourite movie-time snack? Does it help me be where I want to be? Does it teleport me there? When attempting to cultivate a habit, success comes from defining the action well and spelling out the 'where and when' of the new habit. The habit could be of reading a book or of brand consumption. Hence, an effective marketing campaign spells out 'how to engage', 'where to engage' and 'when to engage', so engagement becomes a habit. When a campaign connects brand consumption (what you need me to do) with existing consumer habits (What I must do) by explicitly placing it within existing routines (When I do what I must do), brand consumption becomes a habit. And the goal should always be to make it a habit because habits stick.

Tell a story.

Brands are made on emotions, and products are made to solve problems. If a brand can make them laugh, cry, ponder and be more than they are, they remember you for more than just a problem. Don’t be afraid to tell a story. Stories are what we’re made of. It is a fundamental human need, as is food and water. When attempting to capture intent, telling a good story never goes wrong. All the touchpoints, platforms, formats, etc., where your herd resides, they do so for their thirst for stories. Don’t forget that. A creative with your logo and product photo isn’t a story. The same Instagram static can tell a story as a film can. And remember, if a story sells first and the brand, the product, or the service just tags along, you have an earned audience, not a borrowed one. You’re not saying, hey, scroller, can you pause and look at what I’m selling? It's you showing them what they came for and walking into their consciousness like a pro. I'm reminded of the guy selling credit cards at the metro station to the speed-walking public. Man! That’s a hard job. Converting zero intent with a strong opposite current into customers – that’s you on social platforms, my brand person friend. So, do not sell credit cards like that. Use the story tools, devices, narratives and all the other fancy words creative people use to lure you into their world of stories. Be permissive, not interruptive, and the audience won’t know when you made home in their minds. We’re all suckers for stories. So tell some.

Be honest. 

Be the magician, not the pickpocket. They both use sleight of hand. One amazes; the other dazes; hence, it doesn’t stick. Push the oblivious to be aware, the aware to intend, and the ones with intent to act; it's just that, and you know it. Know what you want and be true to it. You can’t have it all. If you want to sell, do so. If you want them to know you, introduce yourself; if you want them to remember, remind them; if there is too much noise, shout, but don’t deceive. Deception is short-lived. Your audiences might be unaware, but not stupid. You have tools, and your audience does too, in their subconscious. When you deceive, their subconscious alerts them. Your comms are confused, and so is your audience. There is a reason why we use human behavioural insights to build our communication. There are many things – evolutionary, habitual, and psychological – but most of all, they’re true. When the campaign comms comes from the truth, they seep in, flow through and sit right. It's not pretending; it's being. Let’s be and exist not as a mutation but as an extension of the world of our consumers, or as they exist, so our brand becomes a part of their habits, their culture, and their subconscious.