All Computer Nerds Are Going to Love This New Product

The Director of Marketing stands at the head of a conference table, loomed over by the Board of Directors for DMSA (a made-up company abbreviation), presenting the latest strategy developed by the marketing team.

“Gentlemen, computer nerds are going to love this new product. We have done pilot studies with groups of people and one-for-one they loved it.

“We are calling it…The Sclohmer. This new product is revolutionary in the field of electronics. It’s a joystick that combines a mouse and a keyboard. They can use it for all their gaming and programming needs.

The radio ad plays. “Dan: I love my new Sclohmer joystick.” Steve: “Oh yeah? What do you love about it?” Dan: “The dual-purpose triangle handle device and transparency pads that replace my current set up. The best part is that it can be integrated into any set up.” Steve: “Wow, I want to get mine too!”

DMSA releases “The Sclohmer”, spending 2 million dollars on a full advertising campaign and over the next year they get $50,000 of sales. What went wrong?

The people producing the product may have loved it, same with their test subjects, but their advertising is not written to a person. When an ad stops communicating directly to a person, marketing to stereotypes begins. You are now communicating to a group and a group is never reading something, it’s always individuals.

Marketing to stereotypes and writing ads and marketing to specific people are related.
Today I am flying back from a seminar/class I was attending in Austin, TX. I was at the Wizard Academy and was doing a class put on by the Eisenberg brothers from Future Now, Inc. (www.FutureNowInc.com). We got the rare chance to see the Eisenberg brothers going through 12 real-live people’s websites and discuss specific points that are negatively affecting those websites in terms of conversion.

One of the points they brought up was, when you write copy, write it TO A PERSON. People don’t read things on the web as an audience, they read as a person, so write to a person and you will have a lot stronger effect.
I selected a marketing company’s website at random and went to their about page. This is what it says:

“We help clients build new brands from the ground up, transform brands with mistaken identities, or revitalize brands that have lost their sizzle. What sets us apart is our expertise at developing brand strategies and communications that skillfully leverage every appropriate media channel.
“New media channels bring opportunities and challenges for every business. Social media, online communities, blogs and webinars each offer unique advantages. We can help you bring digital thinking to the core of your brand communications strategy at a pace that fits your marketing objectives.
“Our work may involve something as simple as a holiday e-card, or a multi-faceted marketing communications program that develops with the client’s needs over months or years...”
If I was standing in front of someone and asked them about their company and they said this, I would never talk to them again. The same applies to the web. The internet is not a mass media channel as they existed in the past. People can read what they want, when they want. It’s much better to have a personal communication with them, you are going to get much better results.

So again, 1. Don’t market to stereotypes and 2. Write to a person, not an audience, crowd or “public”.

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