Think In Terms of 30 Seconds
The Super Bowl happened yesterday, and there were tons of business lessons in the game many of us witnessed. I will try to address some of those in posts this next week, but one thing that every business can take note of was the commercials that grabbed our attention and those that fell flat. Businesses obviously pay major amounts of money for these 30 second spots and they have just one shot and very little time to do a number of things that will lead us to sit up and take notice and hopefully take action to being a loyal customer in the future.
TO MAKE A GREAT COMMERCIAL YOU HAVE TO:
CAPTURE OUR ATTENTION – FAST! (This is critical when you only have 30 seconds and you are competing with noise, information overload, friends and family, food, drinks, and other distractions. Different methods such as humor, emotions, or other touch points will help to engage us in the commercial and keep us from getting up to go to the kitchen to get more nachos!
CONVEY A CLEAR MESSAGE (Know who you are targeting and make your message speak to them. Is there a critical component to your message that you want them to take away? One of the commercials I watched, and I don’t remember which one (probably a car commercial) because I was probably too sad watching my Denver Broncos lose control in the early parts of the game, focused on the message that they can be TRUSTED. What message would you want to convey?)
STAND OUT! (What makes you different from other competing commercials and what makes you stand out from your competitor? Are you showcasing your unique brand? Goldie Blox makes toys for girls, different. They won a free commercial from Intuit, because they do stand out. They focus on STEM, which stands for the core areas of science, technology, engineering and math, and their message is clear. They are encouraging girls and young women to have more interest in these traditionally male-dominated professions.Their commercial rocked it, and their company rocked it too. See the full commercial here if you missed it the first time.
As a sidebar, I heard they hired extra staff and totally stepped up their shipping to accommodate the influx of interest and sales they expect after the 4 Million Dollar commercial airs. Smart move. BE PREPARED.
EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING A COMMERCIAL, you can learn a lesson from these companies that do. Delivering your message to your target customer, fast, and in a clear and captivating way, highlighting your strengths and why your customer should care, will help you to be heard, understood and remembered long after the delivery of the moment.
xo, jan