Communicating the message

Our job as visual communicators is to create clear, easy to understand messages that target a defined audience and encourage them to do something for our clients …

There are two media types; lean forward and lean back:

“Lean Forward” – people who are actively seeking out

information about your client, their products or services.

More often than not nowadays this means online. They

want to know stuff, so tell them. Make it easy for them to

find the details they’re looking for. More on this when we

cover Writing for the Web.

“Lean Back” – these folks are more ‘passive’, they’re

watching TV, sitting on the train, skimming a magazine

or listening to the radio in their car.

To reach these people you need to grab their

attention and create and hold their interest. While

we’ll spend some time learning about how to write for

’lean back’ media, the bulk of the copywriting we’ll

be learning about is aimed at the ‘lean forward’

mediums of Print, Outdoor, TV and Radio.

“Tell me what I don’t know in terms that I do.

Tell me in 30 seconds or less. Make it snappy and

make it stick.

And remember, I didn’t ask for this.”

The fundamental principles:

•  There’s no such thing as a mass audience, only ever an

audience of one.

•  Read everything you write out loud. The best writing should

sound just like talking written down.

•  R.E.G. = Respect, Empathy, Genuineness. If you’re going to

persuade anyone to do, feel or think anything, you must

approach them with respect, have empathy for their situation,

and talk to them genuinely and honestly.

•  The most important and powerful person in any

communication is always the receiver of the message.

The Target Market

Demographics

Age

Gender

Income

Occupation

Location

Psychographics

Attitude

Personality

Values

Interest

Lifestyle

Your message

Headline

Bodycopy

Call to action

“If you’re trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think.” David Ogilvy

Tone of voice

Question: What’s wrong with this headline?

“Our New Weight Loss Breakthrough Slaughters Unhealthy Cravings and Forces You to Shed

Weight Wickedly Fast!"

Tone of voice

Answers:

Don’t use a word like "slaughters" when you're selling a food product. The image of blood mixed with food ... not good.

Don’t use a word like "wickedly" in a market dominated by middle-aged women. They'll be confused by the slang use of this word. It might be appropriate for young men who are into skateboarding and snowboarding, just not here.

Tone of voice

So, we need to be careful to match the tone of voice of our target.

Tone of voice

Different brands also have a tone of voice they use to communicate.

A brand’s tone of voice is a refection of it’s ‘personality’.

A brand’s personality is a refection of who they think their customers are.

The Brief

The 3 basics of a brief are:

1. The profile of the target audience – exactly who are they?

2. The core message that needs to be communicated

e.g. “Paul Denny – we do conveyancing.”

3. A good reason why the audience should be interested – what’s the benefit?

“When all you do is conveyancing, you get really good at it.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAoC2S30CIg

The Six Step Brief:

1. What is the business issue?

2. Who are we talking to?

3. What is their problem?

4. What is our solution?

5. What is the permission to believe?

6. What is the character?

Selling Benefits rather than features

“When you’re selling something, don’t tell people what it does, tell them why it will improve their lives.

This takes the ‘so what?’ factor into account:

Assume your customers say ‘so what?’ to every claim you make and then give them the answer before they’ve even thought of the question.”

Mark Shaw

Features = Facts Benefits = What’s in it for me?

Benefits Vs. Features

Features = 9 air bags, computer controlled braking

Benefit = ?????

Features = Facts •  Price •  Technical stuff in hard to understand language •  Appeals to the logical, analytical part of you •  Harder to get attention with and harder to digest

Benefits = USPs •  How will it make me feel? •  How will it make my life better? (Waxed cars use less gas.) •  Often the basis for a slogan or headline

Writing Slogans

Slogans:

Slogans are a bit like headlines but rather than seeking to capture your attention, they seek to distil down the 'brand essence’.

Slogans are ‘grounded in a key benefit and they should say something to that’s unique about the product or brand in a way that’s catchy, memorable and, above all, in-line with the ‘s personality.

Slogans can and do evolve over time, sometimes as a result of a shift in the target market but more likely because an advertiser wants to change their product or brand’s perception in the market.

1904 “Coca – Cola is a delightful, healthful, palatable beverage.”

1905  “The favourite drink for ladies when thirsty, weary and despondent.”

1906  “Full of vim, vigour and go.”

1919  “3 Million A Day!” 1928  “25 Million A Day!” 1939  “The drink that keeps you feeling right” 1965 “50 Million times a day”

1970  “It’s the real thing” 1977  “Coke adds life” 1991  “Can’t beat the feeling” 1996 “Enjoy!” 2005 “Welcome to the Coke side of life”

Great minds like a think.

The Economist

Think outside the dodecahedron.

The Economist