How does your message cut through the noise?
Flesh and blood stories – for marketing that cuts through the noise
If your brand is what people say about you when you’re not there, why not take control of your image? The core message starts with what you do for whom. The core message has to make strategic sense.
Later, when you start spreading the message, you can give the message a creative twist.
This is how you cut through the noise.
Who, what, why
Your core message is simple at its core. One sentence in which you tell what you do, for whom, why. That's it. Simple, right?
Example: 'We help marketing teams activate their target group with authentic communication.'
Our creative translation: Flesh and blood stories – for marketing that cuts through the noise.
One message or no message
We can't say it enough: keep it simple. As soon as people find something confusing, they'll tune out.
Be clear and to the point.
During your campaigns you give your message 'face'. You add creativity, storytelling and emotion.
Make sure your message sticks
A good way to check whether your message can be improved is to apply the six principles from the book 'Made to Stick' by Dan and Chip Heath. They use the acronym SUCCESS. This helps you to assess whether a message or campaign is well constructed.
The 6 SUCCESS principles of made to stick
- Simplicity: Keep your message simple and clear. Focus on the main idea you want to convey.
- Unexpectedness (Unexpected): Make your message surprising and intriguing. This will attract attention and keep people interested.
- Concreteness: Use concrete and tangible examples to illustrate your ideas. This helps people remember the information better.
- Credibility: Make sure your message is credible. This can be done by using experts, statistics or personal stories.
- Emotions (Emotions): Make an emotional connection with your audience. People remember ideas better when they are emotionally involved.
- Stories (Stories): Tell stories to get your message across. Stories help contextualize information and make it easier to remember.
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
— Oscar Wilde
Be yourself
Dishonest and untrustworthy messages can be smelled from far away. Don't do it!
Keep the message close to you and your audience. Start by defining what your brand stands for. Choose a clear direction. You can’t be everything to everyone. If you try, you’re nothing.
In our workshops and campaigns we use, among other things, the Brand Vision Cards framework (recommended!).
This card game will help you determine what your brand stands for.
– What does your brand do?
– What are your core values?
– What are your strengths?
– What emotions does your brand want to evoke?
Be strict so that you have max. 3 cards per category. Then you pour the outcome into a short story.
The nice thing about doing this workshop with several people who are relevant to the marketing strategy is that there is always discussion about the choices that are made.
Outcome of our own Brand Workshop
Our core: 'We are Koekepeer. We help brands communicate to touch people and get them moving. We stand for authenticity, curiosity and creativity. We are resourceful, passionate and put the 'people first'. Our brand evokes trust, creativity and inspiration.
All our communications and services must be in line with this 'core'.
Because authenticity is an important core value, we are not so keen on stock images with people. Unless we can give it a creative twist.
Stay consistent
If you have a powerful message, it is important to convey this consistently in all your campaigns and expressions. This way, you build your brand every day. A nice saying in the design world is: 'by the time you get tired of your logo, your target group will only start to recognize it'. Recognition creates trust. Trust creates success. So make sure that you are always yourself as a brand.
Brand Identity
The message goes beyond just a slogan. From the core message, you develop the rest of your marketing materials and brand identity. This way, you ensure that all your communication has the same core values, tone of voice and visual elements.
Get started yourself
Creating a message that sticks isn’t always easy, but by focusing on simplicity you can create a powerful story that resonates with your audience.
Take your time to develop your message and use tools such as the Brand Vision Cards and the SUCCESS principles from the book 'Made to stick'.
If you have a good message, carry it through and be consistent.
What we can do for you
Building a brand and your marketing is never finished. It is a living process in which you continue to develop and improve. You can do a lot yourself. As far as we are concerned, every organization should have the knowledge and skills to actively build on the marketing.
The advantage of working with an external agency to set out your core message is that an outside view offers a different perspective. We have gained a lot of experience in this over the past 12 years. This way we quickly get to the core and help you make decisions.
It can save you a lot of time and money by working together early in the process. Just think: it would be a shame – when a lot of time and money has gone into the campaign – to see that the foundation is not as solid as you first thought.
Want to know more about this? We're happy to help.