Written by: Bill Kobel, Vice President Strategy and Integrated Communications
We’ve been hearing about it every day for months.
Bank busts, bailouts and buyouts. Gloom and doom, 24/7. It sent some companies into a defensive mindset, paralyzed by fear and a focus on “laying low” until the storm subsides. Others threw long-term strategy out the window. Cost cutting and short-term revenue-generating activities are their only immediate focus.
When times are tough, there’s a tendency to push the panic button; and given what we’re going through, it’s not surprising.
But, let’s be clear: there’s plenty of historical data out there to show that companies do harm in the short- and long-term to their businesses and their brands by knee-jerk budget slashing and running scared. Hundreds of studies of marketing over 10 recessions in the 20th century have concluded that not only did sales and profits decline for companies that cut brand-oriented activities during the recession, but also that performance continued to lag upon recovery.¹
Recently, I was in Salt Lake City meeting with a group of integrated communications and media production executives from across the country called e-CAMP. One common feature in all of the companies is a long history of creating corporate videos to communicate, sell and train. Most companies were born in the 80’s and grew by using video to help their clients accomplish business goals. While this holds true today, much has also changed.
Consider the following ways video has evolved:
Digital video enables greater interactivity and integration with other media
Viewers are exposed to a wider range of video quality from what’s captured on a cell phone to High Definition
Hundreds of specialty networks are delivered to the home TV
Almost free video distribution via the web through YouTube and other outlets
With all the changes, there’s more corporate video being produced today than ever before. This is because video remains the highest impact medium. According to Nielsen, consumers are watching more video than ever on each of the three screens of television, Internet and mobile phones. Used effectively, video engages the audience, draws them into a story and leaves them with a changed point of view. Today, businesses need video to help them communicate change internally and externally so they can evolve to meet the challenges of the marketplace.
While the corporate video today rarely stands alone, it remains the key ingredient in many integrated communications programs. Whether it appears in the back seat of a taxi cab, on the side of a building, on a cell phone or on YouTube, video can be a game changer by breaking through the clutter of thousands of messages to reach the target.
The e-CAMP companies have evolved and survived dramatic changes. We’ve prospered by seeing ourselves first and foremost as communicators. Today, we have wide ranges of capabilities, including marketing research, campaign planning, interactive exhibit design, multimedia event production and web application development to name a few. And, when we need the unmatched power of motion pictures, we can still produce the high impact video. After all, that’s where we got our start.
So, are you thinking, “Can proofreading be all that important?” What’s the big deal anyway? What’s it matter if you have a typo or a misplaced modifier or design inconsistencies in your work?
Two words: Credibility and Professionalism.
If a reader begins tripping over your copy because of simple writing errors, she may begin to question your professionalism (and by extension – your organization’s). Not good. If you don’t demonstrate professional work, you won’t get more work from paying clients. And why would you want take the chance on losing prospective jobs from sloppiness?
Then there’s the credibility factor. If readers find mistakes in the copy on your website, e-blasts, brochures, or one-pagers, they may come to the conclusion that you’re not the subject matter expert they thought you were. I recently came across a website that advertised writing services in which the copy actually read, “…typical web content writing projects hendled by web copywriting professionals.” I’d sure think twice about hiring a copywriter from this site.
Cervantes wrote: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” In this context, the phrase might read, “The proof of the pudding is in the reading.” If your audience reads error-free copy – and of course, you deliver a spot-on message – you and your organization will be seen as both professional and credible. Mission accomplished!
I have a Thomas Edison quote hanging in my office that reads, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” It’s one of my favorites.
In rebranding your company, you have an opportunity – a big one – to clarify your brand, to make it distinctive and relevant. But a lot of businesses miss that opportunity because they see rebranding as just a redesign. It’s simple. Not too much effort involved.
Whoa.
Let’s back up… your brand isn’t your logo, and it isn’t your advertising campaign. A brand is what people think and believe about your company, product or service. It lives in what your customers think and feel. And it resonates within your company because it is built on who you are, fundamentally. It should be easily identified, quickly described and clearly stand out from the competition. Good branding is focused – and focusing takes work.
When it comes to rebranding, you first need to know what your company stands for. A surefire way to find out is to ask your customers. If you don’t work to define yourself, customers will do it for you. A decision to buy from your company will either be based on an attraction to your brand – or cost, time and availability. If you want your customers to be brand loyal and choose you even when it may be inconvenient for them, you have to tell them why they should.
And they can’t have a preference if they don’t see a difference. No company can be all things to all people. Knowing what your customers want from you and how they want to hear it is just as important as knowing what you want to be. Read Full Article »
Does your brand connect with your target audience? Does it stand out from the competition? And have stopping power? Find out what you can do to activate your brand and reach your target in this podcast featuring Vice President of Strategy and Integrated Communications, Bill Kobel.
Everything begins with your brand, and never more so than today. A powerful brand provides the most effective way to cut through the “noise” and reach the hearts and minds of your target market. Our new white paper – Does a Brand Deliver Business Value? – provides JPL’s perspective on what a brand is, the business value of a strong brand and how branding is critical to business strategy.
Here they are right up front so you don’t have to go digging for them:
- Use industry words
- Write like you talk
- Cut the flab
Use industry words
This should be a no-brainer. If you write copy for any format - web, print, digital, video, or audio - you have to use the language of the industry you’re writing about. Don’t presume that a widget is a widget is a widget. It could be a thingamabob, a doohickey or a whatchamacallit. If you don’t use the familiar words your audience expects, your piece will appear out of touch to them. And out of touch will quickly be out of mind. How do you do it? Read existing industry PR. Research the top industry leaders. Talk to people who work in the industry. Live in their world for a while.
Write like you talk
In video land, we’ve long used the phrase “writing for the ear.” That is, we write scripts using conversational language that people expect to hear. Today, that phrase can apply to nearly everything we write. (I say “nearly” because some print pieces, like annual reports, continue to have a more formal style and tone.) Whether your copy will be read online or in print, or spoken (audio & video) - it has to be written and structured the way we speak. We can thank the Internet and Web 2.0 for that.
Cut the flab
You might think this one’s easy. Nope. Cutting extraneous words from your copy takes a critical eye and ruthless zeal. They say when you write to keep your “editing self” from barging into the creative process. Well, at this stage - the review - you can let your editor roam free to find extra prepositional phrases, run-on sentences, and long paragraphs. And if you are too close to the material, find an experienced proofreader to edit for you. Your mantra? Chop, chop, chop.
Follow these writing tips and I guarantee you’ll serve up a clear, lean, focused message that “breaks through” the cluttered media landscape and communicates directly to your target audience.
McKonly & Asbury, LLP, Certified Public Accountants
This morning I attended The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Excellence Exchange. These breakfast meetings are an excellent venue to share ideas, best practices, and hear from a community business leader.
This morning the speaker was Luke Kempski, President of JPL. JPL has won many awards (Fastest 50 Growing, Best Places to Work…) and was/is a very successful organization, when 2 years ago it set out on a course of change. Luke set forth the course of action they took in order to continue to be a great organization. I thought his comments were insightful and I decided to share. (read more…)
As a communicator, you have more options than ever to try to impact your target audience. But how are you supposed to know where to invest your limited time, energy and money? No matter what you hear, every medium, traditional and new, requires all three of your precious resources. Spread your message thinly across too many channels, you may not have an impact. Don’t use enough channels and you may not reach your target at all.
To be successful, you need a synchronized multi-channel strategy that reaches your market segment with a powerful message. Multi-channel should not be confused with every channel. You can’t do it all, so you need to use research to make sure you select the mediums that will reach your target when and where they’re most receptive. And, you’ll need to make sure your creative approach draws their attention and compels them to action. Each touch point should amplify the other, so the power of all of the messages is greater than each by itself.
I’ll use an example where I was obviously a target of an integrated campaign for Comcast Business Class. The campaign message boasted: “Boost Your Bottom Line.” Not very subtle, but the multi-channel strategy was certainly designed to catch the attention of their target market of executives in small to mid-size businesses. Within a week, I received a post card, saw a commercial on ESPN, viewed an ad in Inc. magazine, heard their sponsorship of the “HBR Ideacast” podcast and read a banner ad on CNN.com. The result? I now think of Comcast as not just a consumer provider, but as an option for business services as well.
Whether it’s B2B or B2C, the strategy and creativity that go into the media mix are as critical as the creativity in the message. When everything aligns - media, message and target - you experience the exponential power of integrated communications. Each new message builds on the one before and becomes more likely to find permanent space in the mind of the target.
There’s a line in the movie Jurassic Park that only audio dweebs like me think is funny, or probably even notice. It happens before the wheels fall off the prehistoric cart and the dinosaurs run around eating lawyers. The main characters are about to embark on an automated car tour of the park. Prior to this scene, park creator John Hammond has impressed his guests with top-of-the-line amenities proclaiming, “We spared no expense.” Now, as they climb into the vehicles for the tour, we hear a pre-recorded narrative of the sights they’ll see. Hammond comments, “That’s Richard Kiley. We spared no expense”.
For those who don’t recognize the name, Richard Kiley was the voice of practically every serious documentary produced at the time the movie was released. The message, understood by discerning audio specialists like me (i.e. geeks who knew it was Kiley as soon as he spoke), is that if you’re going to spend a ton of money on the rest of a production, don’t skimp on the voiceover. Read Full Article »
