A true brand is a metaphor for desire, a container for aspirations and the promise of fulfillment. We are all the same, each of us searching for the same things and they aren't keywords. Most businesses think way too narrowly; too focused on the concrete instead of the psychological. Branding like history is based on enduring themes, the universal hardwired predilections that form our basic needs and wants, whether for business or pleasure.
Quintessential Brand Themes
Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman have come up with what they call the 'Seven Giants' in their book 'Marketing Metaphoria.' They describe seven classic elements that they see effecting consumer behavior: balance, transformation, journey, container, connection, resource, and control.
Balance is about maintaining or reestablishing normality; Transformation is about the metamorphosis from unsatisfying to fulfillment; Journey is about personal growth; Container is about physical and emotional constraints; Connection is about relationships; Resource is about acquiring and using tools and knowledge; and Control is about creating a sense of security, well-being, or mastery.
These themes have a marked similarity to the classic storytelling scenarios used by every novelist, screenwriter, and successful brand strategist.
The Brand Story
Effective brand strategies are based on delivering a story, a tale that embeds in the collective consciousness of an audience and becomes a metaphor for some deep-seated psychological human need.
We are taught to maintain a positive outlook, and it is definitely a more healthy approach to life than the opposite, but stories are based on tension, disruption, and overcoming obstacles. If your audience is self-satisfied, if they're happy with the way they look, the way they feel, and the stuff they own, why would they be interested in buying your product or service? The fact is most people and businesses want more, more of everything, and the promise of more is what you're selling.
It may not be popular to say, but the negative perspective is the more powerful. If branding is about making a memorable impression you will be more successful if you tap into your audiences' insecurities and neediness.
Even seemly positive commercials like Dove's 'real beauty' campaign is really about highlighting the audiences' flaws: it places a mirror in front of the viewer and says, 'look in the mirror, this is what you really look like, and girl you need makeup' - cynical perhaps, but this marketing strategy was able to hit consumers from both sides of the psychological fence: great positive PR because of the apparent positive message, while at the same time subliminally saying, you really don't want to look this natural do you? It's what we call the Law of Dissatisfaction.
It All Boils Down To Creating Discontent
Archetypical stories all boil down to motivating sales by getting your audience to think your stuff will make their lives better; and in order to do that, you first have to get your audience to accept the fact that their current situation is not as good as they thought.
What good is a forty-two inch flat-screen when you could have a sixty inch one; what good is a headache tablet that takes twenty minutes to work when you could have one that works in five; and how can anyone really be happy with their face or body when just a few injections of some magic elixir will turn them into a beauty queen or matinee idol? Is there really anything wrong with wanting to reach your maximum potential? It is after all the driving force behind our economy and the ultimate motivation behind innovation.
Stories Are Content, Advertising Is Irritation
We all know the Web is about content, and the future of successful Web-marketing lies in the ability to turn marketing messages into content, and meaningful content is about storytelling. We need to stop looking at television advertising as the prototype format; the people running television have their heads buried deep in the sand beside the same people who run the music and movie industries - they just don't seem to be able to adapt to the new Web-environment and it's inherent nature, capabilities and demands.
Mind numbing, number crunching study after number crunching study, filled with misleading statistics, complicated graphs, and pretty PowerPoint charts don't tell the real story. Wasting money on ineffective banner ads and irritating, over-used TV spots, while obsessing over search engine optimization and technical solutions won't get you where you want to go.
Companies need to learn how to connect to an audience and build a relationship with that audience by delivering content in ways that people have used from time immemorial, through telling a story told by a real person with a real voice: something the Web is not only capable of doing, but is superior at delivering.
Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.
Maternity Jeans - What You Should Know
Pregnant moms who become plus sized, love maternity jeans, as they do not want to miss out on the comfort of denim, while their abdomen is expanding for the developing baby. You will find that till about the fourth month or the second trimester, regular plus size jeans can be worn.
Maternity Photography Specialist Chosen By Miss America 2002 Katie Harmon
There are a lot of photographers that serve Vancouver, Washington and surrounding cities, the Greater Portland, Oregon area, and Orange County, California.
Nearly all of them will claim that they too do maternity photography. However, even a brief search shows that preciously few specialize in this … and only one has been garnered with praise, appeared in eight top publications, and has their work displayed as art in locations as diverse as maternity clinics to yoga centers. Only one has been chosen to be the exclusive family photographer for Katie Hamrom (Miss America 2002).
Your Plus Size Lingerie Clothing Sytle
You are feeling full of anticipation and naughty. You are waiting for your husband to come home. You dab on the most provocative perfume you own, which is your husbands favorite. You are wearing a teddy with a leopard print. While checking yourself in the mirror you look at your choice of your accessories and smile to yourself. You feel so vamped up.
Plus Size Maternity Clothes Now Easier To Find
It used to be a challenge to be a pregnant plus-size woman. Fortunately both local stores and online shops now stock plus size maternity clothes. If you look carefully you also should be able to find good sales on maternity clothes that will help you maintain a budget. Keep in mind that, after all, these are only temporary clothes.
Plus Size Maternity Clothing: Better Selection On Internet
Pregnant women range in size from petite to extra large. A lot of women require plus size clothes as well as plus size maternity clothes. These can be difficult to find compared to maternity clothing for normal size women. Also, these special size clothes can be expensive. However, it is possible to purchase maternity clothes that are reasonably priced.
Great Top Picks For Nursing Clothes And Maternity Clothes
Many first time moms often think that once they have their baby they can just slip back into their pre-pregnancy wardrobe after a week or two Not so
Plus Size Lingerie: Stylish & Sexy Lingerie
Back in the day, plus-size women had little hopes in terms of finding sexy plus-size lingerie. Most of the material was uncomfortable and the varieties available were less than perfect. Finding seductive lingerie for a plus-size woman became an unfeasible undertaking.
Munro's Safety Clothing Adds Two New Wrangler® Jeans To Their Line of Fire Resistant Clothing
Munro's Safety Apparel, one of the nation's leading providers of safety clothing for the workplace, is very excited to announce the addition of two new products to their line of clothing. Munro's has added Wrangler® FR Cowboy Cut® Original Fit Jeans and Wrangler® FR Cowboy Cut® Relaxed Fit Jeans so that people on the job who prefer the fit and comfort of Wrangler® jeans can enjoy the exact same Wrangler® fit and style that they prefer with the added safety and benefit of flame resistance.
Selecting Your Plus Size Maternity Work Clothes Wardrobe
Around the three or four month mark of your pregnancy you will want to buy some maternity clothes that are appropriate for wearing to work. Many women now work almost up until their baby is born and they want to look professional at work. When your clothes start to feel a little tight you should start thinking about purchasing maternity clothes.
Maternity Clothing - What Every Woman Needs To Know About Maternity Clothes
Let's face it: maternity clothing is ugly and expensive. Since most women don't need to wear maternity clothes until the second trimester, at most you'll only be getting six months of use out of those ugly $200 overalls to cover your ever expanding stomach. I couldn't bring myself to spend thousands of dollars on a new wardrobe when I already felt so ugly, so I resorted to making my own for as long as possible. For example, I really didn't want to buy old lady underwear that would cover me from my belly button to the tops of my thighs. They were hot and uncomfortable anyway, but there aren't many sexy maternity panties around.