• 0

Marketoonist | Tom Fishburne

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne. Marketing cartoons, content marketing with a sense of humor, keynote speaking.

  • Campaigns
  • Speaking
  • About
  • Cartoons
  • Contact
  • Book
  • 0

how brands talk

September 19, 2010 6 Comments

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Whether on package copy, TV ads, or websites, most brands talk in the same self-referential and self-absorbed way. It’s by design. That’s usually the first filter of a creative review: run through a checklist to make sure that all the key benefits from the brief are there. The problem is that there’s rarely a filter that all that brand talk is actually interesting.

Hugh Macleod refers to this as The Cocktail Party Rule: “what’s true at cocktail parties is also true in marketing i.e. If you want to be boring, talk about yourself. If you want to be interesting, talk about something else.”

Robert Stephens, the founder of Geek Squad, once said that “advertising is a tax for unremarkable thinking”. Most brands invest in Paid Media to interrupt their consumers long enough to blab about their brand message, whether or not it’s ultimately that interesting to them. Consumers’ collective eyes glaze over in a blah blah blah world and it becomes harder and harder to get your message across.

TBWA identifies four types of Media available to brands: Paid, Earned, Owned, and Created. Most brands only think about Paid Media, but Earned Media is a much better litmus test. Is your brand doing or saying something interesting enough that consumers and the press are compelled enough to share it? Consumers and the press share ideas, not because the ideas convey key benefits from your creative brief, but because it’s interesting to them.

Owned and Created Media is an even higher bar because it requires communication to be less about the brand and more about the consumers through the brand. My favorite example is the American Express OPEN Forum, a community and resource for small business owners. There is no overt pitch of the brand benefits of American Express to a small business owner. They don’t need one. They say everything you need to know about American Express through a conversation that is about the consumer, not the card.

Increasing your working media budget is not enough to get your message into the world if your message isn’t interesting enough to share on it’s own. Media is just an accelerant.

Filed Under: advertising, brand management, social media

Get a new marketoon each week:

Previous Post Next Post

idea prevention department

100913.ideaprevention.jpg

friends, fans, and followers

friends, fans, and followers

Browse similar cartoons in: advertising, brand management, social media

Browse By Category See All Marketoons

6 Comments

Join the Discussion
  1. Atrisa says

    September 19, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    Thanks for this, puts things into perspective.

    Reply
  2. Mike Brewer says

    September 20, 2010 at 6:49 am

    This really nails home the fact that rich content really is king. And, engagement is only really possible when the content moves [really moves] a person in their time of need.

    Reply
  3. Salvatier says

    September 20, 2010 at 8:40 am

    Makes me think of how Apple hit the nail right on the head with PAID media. Thanks for the info.

    Reply
  4. CustThermometer says

    September 20, 2010 at 9:20 am

    Understanding, and responding to, how people feel about your brand is critical for earned media to work well. Thus the marketing and customer service teams are going to have to get closer and closer.

    It’s going to be increasingly important to find out where the brand isn’t living up to its marketing and fix the issue. Gaps between promise and delivery chip away at the positive impact of earned media faster than anything else.

    Reply
  5. denise lee yohn says

    September 25, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    i like this thought a lot because it means brands must think hard about what value they really are providing — it’s valuable to its customers, word will get around…

    Reply
  6. Eric Brody says

    October 27, 2010 at 9:08 am

    Reinforces the point that consumers really don’t care about your products and services – they care
    about solving their problems. Think “hard” about the job consumers really need/want done – and how you can best solve in a way that others can’t.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Paid licensing options include high resolution download.
  • Presentation $35.00 Add to Cart
  • Newsletter or Website $100.00 Add to Cart
  • Corporate Blog/Sponsored Post $50.00 Add to Cart
  • Looking for other licensing options? click here
  • View Cart
Your Ad Ignored Here Book Image

15 years of Marketoonist compiled for your marketing pleasure.

Order Now

About Marketoonist

tom_image

Marketoonist is the thought bubble of Tom Fishburne a career marketer and cartoonist. Learn More...

Subscribe

Get a new marketoon delivered to your inbox each week.

 

Browse Blog Posts

Most Popular Cartoons Browse Categories

Marketoon Campaigns

contentmarketing

Content marketing with a sense of humor.

Learn More

Keynote Speaking

speakingworkshops

Insightful, funny, and visual keynote talks and workshops.

Book Tom to Speak

Search Blog Posts

Interested? Let’s Talk!

Marketoons

Browse Categories

Get New Cartoons Weekly

About Marketoonist

Tom Fishburne is the Founder and CEO of Marketoonist, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons.

© 2023 Marketoonist