“At least they remember you”
February 19th, 2008 by Dominic Canterbury
Today I was talking with a client about the misguided marketing of a local lawyer who tries to get clients by dressing up in a fedora and trench coat, as if he’s some kind of special agent attorney.
In response my client suggested that maybe the strategy was effective because at least I remembered it.
This, my friends, is wisdom straight out of the Old Marketing Play Book. For many generations it was a fundamental truth that good marketing had to be memorable. But now, that wisdom is almost entirely useless.
Memorability was important in an age when useful information was hard to come by. It was a time when people actually made their spending decisions based on factors such as, “Hey, at least I recognize that one.” Or “That one’s ad looks like they spent the most on it.” Or “Damn it. I have to call SOMEONE and if their ad is on the side of a buss they can’t suck that much.”
Those days are gone. Of course, memorability counts for something but by itself it counts for nothing. No longer is it possible to succeed by grabbing attention and forcing your brand into millions of minds. That kind of strategy will just make people acutely aware of how much they need to spend a couple of extra seconds to find your competition.
I think memorability is still useful for excess of choice situations. But this is clearly unsifficiant since it depends on the reputation or the experience print laid on the consumers.
Great article Dominic, I agree wholeheartedly about cynical attempts to lodge in the memory. I wrote an article back in July 2007 about a similar marketing stunt from one CEO who decided to host a web conference in his underwear.
I think the key is that if you want to be memorable then it must in some way be for the same principles and strengths the product is targeted for.