March 2008
As the presidential campaign and primary season are well underway,
there is no shortage of reporting on each candidate's message. The
constant determination of whether the candidates are "on message"
continues to buzz in our ears. But sometimes consistency alone isn't
enough. In order to be totally beneficial, a message must be on point
and distinctive. Just as presidential hopefuls need to keep their
messages succinct and captivating, your company's marketing and
communications must be strategic and memorable if you want
results.
Cutting through the noise of the competition—whether in the form of another company, product, or candidate—is the ultimate aim of any strategic communication effort. Staying "on message" is the cornerstone of brand communications and is best achieved when part of a larger integrated brand communications approach. At JDG, we always seek to integrate solid strategy into our work by helping our clients define their message and match those messages to target audiences, outreach tactics, and the overall mission or goal of the organization.
In this issue of Brand News, we shed some light on our approach to creating a strategic plan, highlighting the importance of message development and ultimately, how to design a plan that gets your message heard.
Sincerely,
Len Johnson, President and CEO
JDG Communications
(703) 207-0933 x101
ljohnson@jdgcommunications.com
A Winning Strategy for Message Development
Summarize your company in thirty words or less. Easy enough, right?
Don't forget to make sure your words are carefully selected: creative
and catchy without being perceived as too clever or cute. Also, it's
best to focus on summarizing your company's mission with a message
that's aimed at a well-defined target audience. Ready, go.
Whether you're tasked with writing boilerplate for a press release or copy to appear in an ad, contextualizing your company when there's limited space to work with can seem rather daunting. When it's done correctly, extensive strategy and research precedes the actually writing process.
The foundation for building a brand begins with a solid research-based strategy, including asking questions of employees as well as clients in an effort to create a realistic understanding of your position in the marketplace. With such a foundation built, the key messages will surprise you by nearly writing themselves.
Recently, JDG was tasked to do just that for the Grants Resource Center (GRC) of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), an organization offering research and consulting services to American higher education institutions interested in competing successfully for government research grants. By reviewing materials, evaluating competitors, and interviewing AASCU staff and select GRC subscribers, JDG discovered AASCU's true value to its target audience. JDG then developed a brand platform, featuring audience profiles linked to highly targeted messages crafted from the feedback of each audience segment.
Click here to learn more about JDG's approach to brand development.
The Business Side of Brand Communications
There's no time like the present, especially given the current
economic climate, for demonstrating the value of integrated marketing
communications with quantifiable results. The real challenge is to
identify the worth of your strategic marketing activities—be it
an ad, brochure, or paid media—in business terms and make them
imperative to an organization's mission and financial well being.
To begin finding the answer, start by changing just one word in your vocabulary. Rather than integrated "marketing" communications, try integrated "brand" communications. This one word means a world of difference. Marketing is a tool, but a brand is a business asset that can be measured and increase in value if it's properly nurtured and managed. And by establishing an integrated brand communications effort, you will enable your company to establish relationships with its target markets by conveying consistent messaging through the most effective and appropriate channels. And that's something CEOs, CFOs, sales, and other professionals in your organization can understand and embrace.
Click here to read the full White Paper, "Demonstrating the True Value of Marketing and Branding Communications."
JDG Offers Free Confidential Needs Analysis
JDG Communications is offering your company a free Integrated Brand Communications Confidential Needs Analysis. JDG staff will come to your office and conduct a one- or two-hour discovery meeting. Based on the information gathered at this meeting, JDG Communications will then prepare a Confidential Needs Analysis that outlines our recommendations for your company. Our staff will return to your office to present our findings and see how we might help you.
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