In marketing, focus is always critical. Losing focus, especially in challenging economic times, can lead to ‘the end’ for brands. In what ways should a brand marketer focus? First, one should be very specific about the target customers and audiences to which the brand is intended to appeal. That drives everything else.
Next, knowing the target customers/audiences, one should be very specific about the brand’s promise (unique value proposition) and its marketing messages. Finally, one should choose highly targeted media/vehicles through which the messages are communicated.
When it comes to focus, these are the most common mistakes:
- Defining the target markets too broadly
- Creating too many different marketing messages (one must focus on one or two messages at most)
- Pursuing the least expensive marketing media/vehicles rather than creating a media plan that is optimized for the target markets
- Extending or licensing the brand into the wrong business categories
At The Blake Project, we recommend focusing on the most advantageous customers for the brand in question and then hitting them hard with exposure to the brand and its unique value proposition. That is, being very tight in the target market definition, creating a unique brand promise and messaging that is highly appealing and then emphasize frequency in the media plan. Brand marketers can also apply the 80/20 rule when budgets are tight. Spend money only on those marketing activities that have the highest impact/ROI. In lean times it’s important to transfer money from the least productive marketing activities to the most productive ones.
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