Advertising and Branding

Advertising allows you to communicate a salient message to a large group of consumers faster than any other form of communication. It allows you to truly connect with the consumer; it gives you an opportunity to develop an ongoing relationship between the consumer and a brand. At its best, advertising will create a sense of urgency for the consumer, an awareness—often honest and accurate—that there are products, places, styles or sensibilities that cry out for action or attention.

Breakthrough ideas might appear to be instant or impulsive, but they are not. They are based on sound strategy, outstanding visuals and copy, and the correct application of timing and media. The art is in ensuring that all elements of communication work together so that the end result is more powerful and effective. It’s like conducting a symphony orchestra—all the instruments working together, the timing just right to make beautiful music. In the world of advertising, this is a total business solution. We don’t see ourselves as an “advertising” agency. We’re the conductors helping orchestrate a business success.

There are various styles of advertising—a soft sell or a hard sell, a subtle approach or a blatant approach, an informative style or a modern and edgy one. Style will always change: with the product or service you are selling; with the timing of the message; with the medium you are using. Style will also be influenced by the life stage of the brand. You can use different styles of advertising with a mature brand like Coca-Cola, more than you can with a new brand or one that is declining or has lost its way. The important thing is finding the right balance between defining a brand and delivering next-day sales. The true craft is in identifying ways to interest consumers in what is being offered. A creative strategy can put you on the right course, but in a world filled with clutter and distractions you must develop communications that capture consumer attention and interest. The key is delivering the selling point in an interesting, single-minded, non-contrived manner. Some advertising sells brands. Great advertising also builds them.

Assuming a client’s product or service meets an immediate or unfulfilled future need, it must deliver on three or four attributes differentiating it from whatever else is out there. Let’s take our client Nissan as an example. Nissan sells a basic commodity: cars. However, Nissan not only delivers exceptional value, it understands how to differentiate itself from the competition, employing persuasive messaging that hits at the core audience’s relevant needs. However, there is another level of understanding here: Nissan is smart about building cars because it understands through relevant research what potential customers need and what they want. At Zimmerman & Partners, it’s our job to identify those core attributes—match them with consumer desire and bring them to life in our advertising and marketing campaigns. As a result, during the consumer’s consideration process, Nissan ranks high on the shopping list. We know what triggers a consumer’s desire beyond price point alone. We don’t want to get caught up in a price game; like Nissan, we must be strategically smarter than that by promoting exceptional quality at affordable prices—advertising to both the heart and the mind.

Once a brand’s core attributes are defined, the message must be communicated to generate customer awareness—a message that incorporates the basic tenets of the brand promise: quality, price, customer-service and follow-up. This must all be done on a consistent basis with the long term in mind. Great brands are not fads. A great brand is just that—a brand that understands how to differentiate itself and become a consumer presence.

Today, discipline in advertising is vitally important because of the intensely competitive environment and the need for immediate results. Discipline means being true to a brand’s strategy and staying focused. Too often we see advertising that is so off strategically it does irreparable harm to a brand. Often this happens because a concept perceived as “exciting” or “breakthrough” is actually confusing, unfocused and lacking in clarity. The brand loses its way and its potential customers because of a lack of discipline. We believe that if we understand and define what a brand stands for, who the consumers are, and what key attributes they are seeking, we will always be on strategy.

Of course, for a brand to break through, it must meet a valid, relevant consumer need. The message then must be focused and single-minded, so that the consumer takeaway is clear and distinct. Second, there must be enough of the right message delivered to the right target audience in the right medium to be remembered. The products or service must deliver on the promise.

Great brands have the ability to manifest themselves through different styles and different copy points as long as the brand’s core message is consistent. In a highly fragmented market with highly targeted media—specialty publications, cable television, or specific-format radio stations —we can deliver different styles of messaging to the marketplace and lessen the risk of sending a mixed message. The trouble starts when the product does not deliver on the attributes communicated or when the attributes are far removed from how the product is perceived in the marketplace. At Zimmerman & Partners we never sacrifice clarity for the sake of style or execution.

However, it’s our experience that the core component of the brand message must contain some specific, consistent elements. For example, we have been instrumental in helping one of our clients, Lennar Homes, build on its concept called EI – Everything’s Included. Consumers are often frustrated walking into new homes that are absolutely gorgeous, deciding to buy one, then discovering that everything in the model is an expensive upgrade. Our idea with Lennar Homes was to give them a point of differentiation: When you walk into the model, what you see is what you get. It’s affordable. Wall Street loved the idea, and analysts said EI was one of the most successful concepts in the housing category. You walk into a Lennar home and everything’s included, but you also get top-quality merchandise instead of having to upgrade it yourself, incurring that incremental cost. The house might be a little more expensive, but ultimately you’re getting more value. This has proven quite successful for Lennar Homes: They’re a leading homebuilder in the United States today and a Wall Street darling. Their stock has continued to grow, even in these risky times. It’s all due to differentiating themselves with a concept that reaches consumers in their hearts, their minds, and most importantly their pockets—a “value” story that was most valuable to Lennar.

In my opinion, it is significantly harder to achieve this kind of breakthrough today. Sectors are busier, and substitutes and competitors can come to market faster today than in the past—so fast, it’s almost scary. The proliferation of media options requires a smarter approach today than it did just a few years ago. Think about it: We used to have three networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Today the range of options, given cable and satellite television, is unbelievable. There used to be a few key publications, radio, and no online media. Today everything is coming at you. In the wrong hands, multi-media can dilute a message. In the right hands, you can hammer it home.