Billboard It
We all have that friend that tells long stories with too many details and takes forever to get to the point.
It’s hard to stay focused and interested in the story after awhile.
Same is true with just about anything you put out there on any type of media, social or otherwise.
Your ad, email, post, announcement, Tweet, memo to the staff – whatever it is, you have about five seconds to snag someone’s full attention.
The best billboard ad ever, according to Jay Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing (1984), was “Free coffee next exit.” Short and sweet — like a good billboard — works because none of us has time to waste.
Here’s what our creative team considers as they begin to craft any marketing message:
- Who are we speaking to?
- What do they need, and why?
- What motivates them?
- What’s the most powerful thing we can say?
It takes good editing skills to determine the most powerful way to make a point. Ten or so carefully considered words. And then, a willingness to let the rest go. In our experience, that’s a good way to craft an effective breakthrough message.
But you never know until you road test it. Sometimes with your competition. Sometimes focus groups. Or perhaps, right in house.
Outside input helps you think outside of your own head and experiences and understand what you might be missing.
Simple and short can be brilliant. We’d be happy to show you a few examples of what we mean.
We’ll even throw in free coffee.
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