Overview
This lecture covers message strategies in marketing, focusing on unique selling propositions (USPs), promotion objectives, and various message characteristics and appeals used in advertising.
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- A USP is a specific benefit that distinguishes a product from competitors and helps consumers remember it.
- Examples: Domino’s “30 minutes or free” guarantee; Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan.
- USPs may need adaptation for different international markets based on language, culture, and symbolism.
- Knowing the target audience is essential when developing message strategies.
Promotion Objectives
- Promotion objectives define what a company wants to achieve through promotions, such as building awareness, encouraging immediate action, or fostering long-term brand recall.
- Primary demand focuses on creating demand for a product category (e.g., orange juice).
- Selective demand aims to increase demand for a specific brand (e.g., Tropicana).
- The AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) guides the progression of promotion objectives.
Message Characteristics and Strategies
- Advertising appeals include humour, emotion, fear, rational/informative, and environmental consciousness.
- Humour can make ads memorable, but it must be linked clearly to the brand.
- Fear appeals should be used carefully to avoid negative reactions.
- Open-ended messages let consumers draw their own conclusions; closed-ended messages deliver a logical conclusion.
- One-sided messages highlight positive aspects; two-sided messages show pros and cons (e.g., pharmaceutical ads).
- The beginning and end of an ad are the most memorable sections and should include the brand name.
- Brands may use mascots, jingles, slogans, or characters for consistency and recall (e.g., Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Doughboy, Oscar Mayer jingles).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP) — A distinctive benefit of a product that sets it apart from competitors.
- Primary Demand — Demand for an entire product category rather than a specific brand.
- Selective Demand — Demand for a particular brand within a category.
- AIDA Model — A framework: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, outlining consumer stages leading to a purchase.
- Open-ended Message — An ad message that allows the consumer to interpret or conclude meaning.
- Closed-ended Message — An ad message that provides a specific, logical conclusion.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Identify different promotion objectives used by companies.
- List and describe some message strategies organizations employ.
- Explain the difference between open-ended and closed-ended messages.