Marketing: Less is More
Sometimes in advertising and marketing we can get carried away. Trying to convey all of the benefits you can offer, all of the products you offer, what you can do for the customer…it can get a little overwhelming. There are ways to effectively and professionally advertise and market your business in a simple way. The average consumer will spend roughly 1.7 seconds on an outside ad, and 15 seconds on the internet (if that) according to a post by Emil Agarunov on Envato tuts+. People have short attention spans, and the internet has made us even faster at skimming and scanning. It’s important to be appealing to the scanning eye, and typically simple is better than complex. And, many large companies do this very successfully. Let’s take a look at some simple, yet effective marketing campaigns.
The first thing that comes to mind for many when they think simple is Apple. Their ads and billboards are clean and concise, but ultimately extremely effective. They feature their products with white backgrounds and offer little explanation as to benefits, pricing, or even where to go to buy a Mac. They remain true to their brand, which has gained notoriety and loyalty, while assuming that you already know their product is the best out there. This conveys confidence in the product and leaves the customer feeling intrigued.
Another great campaign is Nike. They use exciting imagery in their advertisements to convey a sporty, athletic image. They don’t really lay out all of the benefits of their products, but instead show the practical use of their products in action. Even their slogan is action oriented, “Just do it.” They also use professional athletes to advertise their goods, demonstrating the value and integrity of the products. You may not be able to get Michael Jordan to endorse and advertise your products, but take notice of the simple advertisements and the action-oriented slogan, simple yet effective.
There are many other advertising campaigns out there that are simplistic, clean, and concise. Less is certainly more. Jayson DeMers, in a blog post on Forbes.com, discusses some questions that you can ask yourself when designing a marketing campaign. These help you narrow your focus so that you can create a simple ad with a specific purpose. Simple ads are actually quite complex – you have to know exactly what to highlight and what to leave out. Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself when developing a marketing campaign:
- What are the benefits to your product/service? Narrow these to the most significant benefits to make the most impact on your target market.
- What amount of information is absolutely necessary to include in your ad? Trim the fluff so to speak. You don’t want a bunch of information that overwhelms the prospective customer. Remember, we have a short attention span so it’s important to keep it quick and concise.
- Visually, what are you picturing? It’s important to have an image in your head to work from – colors, people, products, etc. What do you want to include? This part is tricky and requires somewhat of an eye for design.
Overall, when marketing or creating advertisements it’s important to remember less is more. Think of the large, successful companies that keep things simple and concise – this is the most effective way to go. Fusion Group USA can help you design an ad, or even help you with a marketing plan, that is simple and to the point – we know the market, we study trends, and we have an understanding of design. It’s important to invest in your marketing campaign because it is part of your brand! You are putting your image out there, and you want to stay true to that brand. Call Fusion Group USA today to learn more about what you can do to create a simple, clean, and effective ad or marketing plan!
