Brand & marketing

Now you’ve said clearly what your brand po­s­i­tion is, and you’ve de­veloped a hierarchy of mes­saging, you need to de­vel­op a com­mu­nic­a­tion plan .

I saw a communication plan this week that was just some words on a page. That was it. An actual communications plan has

• Your tar­get audi­ence

• Your com­mu­nic­a­tion ob­ject­ives

• Your

Gaining Mental Availability

• Focus on gaining mental availability before trying to persuade.


• Most marketing tries to persuade as if already in the room with the customer.


• Being distinctive is key to gaining that mental availability.


• Ensure your brand is distinctive, on message, and presents as what people need.


• This is the first step before even

Highlight the sustainable stuff that’s “near” them

Ogilvy found that people are more likely to accept sustainable claims that are “near” to them. People are more motivated to act on sustainable claims that connect the sustainability of the product to the qualities the customer was looking for in the first place. Essentially, if “the wine tastes

Uncertainty can prevent people from getting something they want. And by not addressing customers’ uncertainties, companies miss out on conversions they could otherwise get.

So PR from the 1920s on knew all the tricks of advertising, and had fewer hang-ups about practising them. But fundamental to it all, I think, was a bigger notion: that public opinion, culture, the world of meanings that we share, is not absolute but always there to be influenced – and that if you don’t influence it yourself, others will.

But coffee is a particularly good thing to link the brand to because it is a frequent stimulus in the environment. A huge number of people drink coffee. Many drink it a number of times throughout the day. And so by linking Kit Kat to coffee, Colleen created a frequent trigger to remind people of the brand.

The main advertising influence on their success is fame. As you'll see, I believe the most probable driver of brand success -- and the central principle of communication that we advertisers can control -- is fame. Not brand meaning, or relationship building, or brand purpose or any of the other fantasies that the advertising and marketing industry

So, good news, you don’t need to worry about making your tiny brand different to grow! Your advertising should instead aim to build Mental Availability to remind people the brand exists when they are entering the category. Think ‘ Hey, we’re here, we’re good, give us a try! ’ rather than ‘ We are different from other brands, this is why you should

Branded Merch Power

• Branded merchandise has a surprising power that's often underestimated.


• Rory Sutherland observed Martin Sorrell, a prominent figure in advertising, collecting branded pens at conferences.


• This seemingly small act highlights the subconscious appeal of branded items.


• This power is further evidenced by Meerkat soft toys becoming the