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Last week, Fast Company ran a great article by Joey Asher entitled For Presentations, Half As Long Is Twice As Good. It offers five important tips you’ll want to commit to memory. One point, in particular, has application far beyond the business presentation – the $300,000 challenge. It goes like this:
Let’s say you’re about to give a presentation to 20 people. Before the presentation I offer you $300,000 cash and say “You can have the money under one condition. After your presentation, I will approach three people from the audience and ask them to repeat to me your key messages. If all three can do it, you win the money.”
If those are the conditions, you will limit your presentation to a few key messages. You’ll keep the messages short. And you’ll repeat them many times.
Any good presentation should leave the audience with a few memorable messages. And it’s not hard to do. Just ask yourself, “What are the three things that my audience must remember?”
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could hold all of our marketing efforts to the same standard? How often do you stray from the discipline of a few key messages? Both the profit and not-for-profit sectors are littered with failed campaigns that lose sight of this simple practice. I could point to several examples…and so could you.
What are the three things you want your customer/donor/audience, etc. to remember?
A wish. A prayer. A loving thought. A blessing.
To show mercy. To grant peace. To heal the world.
A dear friend of mine has come up with a marvelous idea. Kathy Milici is an award-winning calligrapher, designer and instructor and owner of 24 Karat Designs Calligraphy Studio in Newton, NJ. Her idea is called the Wishing Tree Project™ – and it recognizes the importance of words in creating our collective experience. She has designed the project to involve people in an act of building a spirit of goodwill and friendship. We could definitely use more of that these days.
Kathy is soliciting individuals to submit a wish – for themselves, for another; for their community or the world – before November 21 to be included as part of a collection of beauty, publicly displayed on a holiday tree, in her studio. She will serve as the designer and caretaker of this tree through the holiday season. Photos will appear on a specially created Facebook page, and hopefully in other media.
Take a moment to learn more about it here…and thank her for her great idea!
un·in·spired Adjective – Lacking in imagination or originality
Yesterday I was walking through a neighborhood in Chicago and noticed this ad for Fifth Third Bank. As I posted on Twitter, you’d think that a bank this size could come up with a more compelling, relevant marketing message. It is a nice sentiment. The intent of the message seems safe enough…but is anyone likely to pay attention?
Fifth Third is a regional bank headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. They have $111 billion in assets, 6 million customers and 1,314 branches. Given their size and the diversity of their markets, you’d expect a rather sophisticated and strategic approach to marketing messages.
Admittedly, they are challenged to reach out to a wide range of audiences. In recent days they’ve announced various Hispanic Heritage Month events and activities in some of their markets. They also expanded their alliance with nationally syndicated radio talk show host Dave Ramsey on educating high school students about personal finance. So, why this rather uninspired signage in a demographically diverse urban market?
Their website declares “To win and retain the loyalty of our growing and diverse customer base, our staff, signage and marketing messages have to reflect the consumers for whom we work to provide financial solutions.” The above ad seems to miss on two fronts:
- Most research into consumer behavior suggests consumer confidence is down and many segments of the population continue to be more concerned over immediate financial needs rather than long-term “dreams”; and
- The standing that financial institutions once held as a trusted partner has been tarnished by the recession, sluggish recovery and negative news about Wall Street. “Working together” is over used and likely to be undervalued by the banking customer – especially given the post-recession consumer move toward self-reliance.
Marketing messages must align with your target audiences’ mindset and current needs. An ad, no matter how much space it is given, will not compel a consumer to act if it is perceived to be inauthentic or out of touch.
