One of the things I think 2009 will bring is a stronger, collective embrace of the straightforward idea: Nothing fancy, nothing high-concept... Just saying it as it is, in a fun and interesting way. Probably the best example of straightforward marketing today is, of course, Apple, but Allstate, UPS and H&M have all applied this approach very nicely.
Assuming their product or service is interesting and relevant at its core, marketers who embrace straightforwardness throughout 2009 should fare well. The key reasons: We are out of time and we are over-stimulated. Added together this means consumers will invest even less time dissecting complicated, high-concept, commercial messages. Furthermore, if you're interesting enough, and deserving of business, you should be able to just say it like it is.
Here's a good example of refining a message to be more straightforward...
I was recently introduced to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger-relief organization that helps 25 million people get food each year. It's a great organization that has attracted lots of leading companies and entertainers to help their cause--everyone from Chicken of the Sea, to Bank of America, to Rhianna, to Kraft. (Actually, Kraft has created a very cool Facebook app... Every time you add the app, Kraft gives 6 meals to families in need. And every friend you invite can give 6 more meals.)
From a marketing standpoint, what I find really interesting is that despite being around for 30 years and providing food assistance through multiple recessions, many people, including myself, didn't seem to know that there was such a well-organized national hunger organization in the US. (Efforts always seem to be very locally focused.) Perhaps part of the reason they've never been fully top-of-mind was their previous name: Until last fall the organization was called America's Second Harvest.
"America's Second Harvest" isn't straightforward. Yes, it could stand for fighting hunger, but it could also stand for a Dept. of Agriculture program. The organization admits as much saying they've "been confronted with low awareness among the general public." From their website:
"In September 2008, America’s Second Harvest changed its name to Feeding America. This new name best conveys our mission—providing food to Americans living with hunger. ...Our new name, Feeding America, directly conveys that we are providing access to food for people who need it."
It takes a ton of courage to change something that's been around 29 years. Yet the new name is so much better--it gets right to the point of what they do. No extra thinking or investment of time required by the consumer. Plus it's memorable. And here we are today, blogging about them, adding them on Facebook and watching a collection of influential companies and entertainers jump on board--just in time to help.
Feeding America is a great example of the first of several approaches marketers should look to embrace in 2009:
Keep things simple and straightforward.
People are out of time and there's lots of interestingness out there to grab our attention. We've been saying this for years, but with mass acceptance of social networks (150M active Facebook users this month), the ever-growing list of social media tools in our lives to keep up with, and multiple hand held devices for us to be reached, we've hit our limit.
It's hard enough keeping up with the people we know. The people we don't know should get to the point quickly.