Essential message objectives and strategies

Essential message objectives and strategies

1. Objective 1: Promote Brand Recall

   • Repetition = Recall
     • But recall is not enough. Brands want to be top of mind or at least in the evoked set.
       • Methods
         • Repetition
           • Buying lots of ads and frequently repeating the brand name
             • Typically for TV and Radio but also print and web
               • Visual repetition is also important
         • Memory aids
           • Encourage repetition because they are catchy
             • Slogans
               • Linguistic devices that link the brand name to something memorable by simplicity, meter or rhyme
             • Jingles
               • The same as slogans but with melody
         • Point-of-purchase branding
           • Displays that help trigger or cue the brand's name from memory

2. Objective 2: Link key attributes to the brand name

   • The ads provide a reason to buy, but don't require the consumer to think too much about it.
     • The appeal may be through words (copy) or visuals (art direction)
       • Method
         • Identified with the unique selling proposition USP
           • Pick one or two attributes.

3. Objective 3: Persuade the consumer

   • Posing one or more logical arguments to an engaged consumer
     • Methods
       • Reason Why-Ads
         • The ad points out to the consumer that there are good reasons why this brand will be satisfying and beneficial.
       • Hard-Sell Ads
         • They are characteristically high pressure and urgent to create a sense of urgency so that consumers will act quickly
       • Comparison Ads
         • Demonstrate a brand's ability to satisfy consumers by comparing its features to those of competitive brands.
       • Testimonials
         • Have a spokesperson who champions the brand in an advertiement
           • Celebrity, expert, average-user
       • Demonstration
         • Evaluation of demonstration ads is typically done through tracking studies that measure attitudes, beliefs, and brand preferences over time.
       • Infomercials
         • Five to 60 minutes of TV time to run an information program. With a hosts that explains the product or service.

4. Objective 4: Affective Association: Get the consumer to feel good about the brand

   • The ads work more through feelings
     • Methods
       • Feel-good ads
         • Ads with positive feelings will lead consumer to associate those positive feelings with the brand
       • Humor Ads
         • Create in the receiver a pleasant and memorable association with the brand
           • Not enough with a funny joke.
       • Sex-Appeal ads
         • Just arousal and affect
           • The context for the sex appeal has to be congruent and fitting to the brand. Such as clothes and perfumes

5. Objective 5: Scare the consumer into action

   • Is hard to use effectively and is fairly limited in application, only used in few product and services categories
     • Buy X to prevent Y
       • Method: Fear-Appeal Ads
         • Highlights the risk of harm or other negative consequences of not using the brand or not taking some recommended action.
           • Thought (fear) = Action. But finding balances is tricky. Ideally moderate leve of fear is the best

6. Objective 6: Change behavior by inducing Anxiety

   • It can last longer than fear. It is one of the most effective types of ads.
     • Methods
       • Anxiety Ads
         • Why the buyer should be anxious and what they can do to alleviate the anxiety.
           • Social, medical, and persona-care products
       • Social Anxiety Ads
         • The negative social judgment, as opposed to a physical threat.

7. Objective 7: Define the brand image

   • The meaning of a brand but at the leve of impression. In visual terms.
     • Method: Image Ads
       • Don't contain much hard product information. Use of images to point to a brand quality.

8. Objective 8: Give the brand the desired social meaning

   • The social setting and brand rub off on each other. Is a way of communicating social status, wealth, fashion and a sense of self. Objects have social meaning.
     • Methods
       • Slice-of-life ads
         • Depict an ideal usage situation for the brand.
       • Branded entertainment: product placement
         • Borad-spectrum and integrated set of methods to bring brand messages to consumers.
           • More efficient with "low involvemente" goods and services

9. Objective 9: Leverage social disruption and cultural contradictions

   • Find a point where the social fabric is frayed and suggest that your brand gets it and is the unofficially sanctioned brand of the counter-culture.
     • Method: Tie Brand to Social/Cultural movement
       • Very sophisticated and typically difficult method, it has to be culturally attuned enough to know the conflicts and how to offer a brand as a solution.

10. Objective 10: Transform Consumption Experiences

    • The most sophisticated strategy.
      • Help create positive memories of brand usage even beofre the consumer has used the brand and weave those memories of actual use together with advertising supplied memories in a way that the advertising can effectively shape consumer memories of brand usage.
        • Method
          • Transformational Ads
            • Attempts to reat a brand feeling, expectation, and mood that are activated when the consumer uses the product or service. Actual usage is thus transformed, made better.