I read (and re-read) “Branding Only Works on Cattle” by Jonathan Baskin Salem back in July. Then I found him on facebook and twitter. His blogs (http://dimbulb.typepad.com/) have continued to educate and entertain. I’m fascinated how so many big companies are, in his opinion, completely off track and barking up the wrong tree when it comes to their marketing.
Here’s some notes I took and some ways I’m grappling with The Clown Game.
The chronology of Purchase Intent:
- Problem Recognition {Jimmy wants a Fun Birthday Party}
- Information Search {Google “Olympia Clown“}
- Evaluation of Alternatives {Google “Olympia Clowns“}
- Purchase Decision {“Book Him!”}
- Post-Purchase Behavior {“Book Him, Officer!”}
So WHAT IF… My Brand was defined what my customers DO? And My Branding defined the Who, Where, When, Why & How of my service? [My customers are craving a tactile representation of life's sweetness and light... and creaminess.]
I’m working on identifying the moments BEFORE customers recognize the problem. I’m needing a plan that doesn’t involve me logging onto facebook 10 times a day and wishing people Happy Birthday… on the day! By then it’s usually too late to book me. AND the person having a birthday doesn’t book their own party entertainment! That’s all bass-ackwards!
2 Do
- Links to related services [Duh! Reciprocal links with party planners, cake decorators, etc.]
- Design a “Before You Call” worksheet [Duh! Revising the FAQs or generating an on-line form with Where is Your Event? How Many Guests Do You Expect? etc.]
- Guerrilla Suit [Isn't that what they're expecting?]
- Get people to React/Respond/Do an Activity/ Give Feedback/ Edit/ Bid/ Try Application/ Purchase
- Get people to Join the Team/ Further the Issue/ Add/ Improve/ Make a Difference
- Ride Behaviors, Don’t Create Them
- Show, Don’t Tell
- Prompt Behaviors, Not Ideas
- Talk to many every time I talk
“Content is inherently more credible if it makes No Claims to Credibility!”
On the other hand… Viral Marketing is nothing more than a glorified Chain Letter, and valuing Transparency means not allowing ppl to post comments Anonymously!
More hard news on the facebook scene: Have Clear Business-like Goals for Social Media Efforts! [Get the phone to ring? Get commitments for work?]
My Favorite was Chapter 7 “Games as Purpose, Not Distraction”
How To Recreate the sales ‘funnel’ as a game board
AND make shopping for birthday entertainment more like clipping coupons, searching for sales. Take a hint from Alternate Reality Gaming and let the players play with ALL the pieces.
ELEMENTS of GAMING
- a payoff
- a context
- narrative flow
- a variety of tools
- winners & losers
- touch points as mini-rewards
So that.. The Process of Getting to the Purchase Should Be as Satisfying as the Purchase Itself!!!
and furthermore: Customer Service, Refunds, Repairs, Problems, Etc. are also FUN/ SATISFYING/ GAME-LIKE/ PLAYFUL
“Once you see your consumers’ chronology of purchase intent as a pathway of linked, co-dependent behaviors, the idea that the brand can be structured much like a game has a lot of power. The qualities of discovery, self-guided authority, personalized pacing, intermediate rewards, and the challenge of skill and luck are themes that keep coming up in descriptions of search technology and new media and across our cultural landscape… (Unfortunately) brand continues to be the business corollary to buying a lottery ticket.”
Shall we play a game?
