October 09, 2005
Flashback: Manufacturing synchronicity
NOTE: I was digging through some of the "drafts" I have sitting in my blog folder. Some of them are half-baked ideas (like this one); some of them are just snippets or links. Given that the draft folder is currently much larger than the publish folder, I'm going to start releasing some of these for consumption, warts and all.This piece was originally written to be the "foundation post" for hypocritical. It is based on a "manufacturing synchronicity" speech I use to give every week or two. It also regularly appeared as an appendix entry for practically every marketing communications plan I wrote, until I got tired of people ignoring it. Enjoy.
Let me start here by laying a little groundwork. This is how I tend to think. But I will desperately try to prevent myself from subjecting you to this type of obfuscation on a regular basis. I don't really talk like the following passage. But I do think this way. And away we go...
The simplest definition of marketing communications is any communications effort designed to gain recognition in the target market. A variety of vehicles are available to provide this influence (advertisements, collateral, direct contact, Web site). And, repeated communications is the only means of solidifying a message in the recipient's mind.
Therefore, the key to succeeding with any cost-effective marketing communications plan -- especially for a company with little to no name recognition -- is trying to manufacture a feeling of synchronicity in the recipient. This is done by timing multiple projects for simultaneous, or nearly simultaneous, consumption by the target market. Which, in turn, allows the user to make the connection among the pieces, magnifying the perception and recollection of the organization. And maybe just maybe, helping us get the message across.
It's the "let them make the connection approach."
Intelligent marketing forces organizations to develop an underlying strategy for its efforts, ensuring that each marketing communications activity is supporting another. And, most importantly, that these efforts should look to leverage synchronicity to increase the value of each campaign. As an immediate solution for attracting suspects and transforming them into leads, organizations should use a variety of marketing communications vehicles to create a perceived connection in the recipient's mind, leveraging the most cost-effective pieces with the widest reach.
There are two ways to establish this recognition through repetition:
1) Use the same medium, the same way, consistently over time, connecting your company with a set of repeated messages. For example, run the same ad 5 times in the same publication in the same location
2) Touch the recipient with a variety of media within close succession, and let them make the connection
Since the value of any marketing communications activity increases exponentially when teamed with other pieces and the proper management of timelines and pieces can effect a feeling of synchronicity in the a recipient's mind or a company's collective intelligence, smaller companies and companies with limited budgets should strive to synchronize the end user's interaction with a variety of media as the most cost effective means of gaining mind share.
For marketing efforts to succeed, every marketing communications effort should be used as a means of supporting at least one other marketing communications effort. One-off efforts should be rejected as they can be severely detrimental to the value of the program and will decrease the return on marketing communications overall.
So, extremely long story short, no marketing communication activity will ever be successful in a vacuum as a one-off. Every marketing communication activity must be supported by a variety of other activities that enhance the perception of the main activity.
That's where this blog will be focused. Only, I won't be such a stuffed shirt about it. This was just to give you the high falutin' foundation. Disagree? Let me know. And please, try to find it in your heart to return.
Flashback: Manufacturing synchronicity
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