How Do I Get My Marketing Clients To Focus?

-Brad VanAuken

Today we’re taking another question from the BSI Emailbag. Laura, a marketing executive from Atlanta, Georgia asks…

“Brad, I find some clients don't want to hear me when I advise them to focus. To find a relevant message to a specific target group and FOCUS. They seem to insist, "but why would we narrow when we might miss an opportunity? All of our competitors will be there if we aren't."

Of course they don't have the budget to be everywhere, so instead we end up with a broad message to a broad audience and hoping that our bulleted copy points then attract the right person to do the right thing. HELP. I have tried to convince them this is a waste and to own a smaller group is a better strategy when funds are limited. But I don't seem to be getting through. Any case studies, charts or graphs you can share? I already forwarded one of you recent posts about narrowing....

And if they just refuse to listen, how do you keep working with them knowing you are not being as successful and wasting money? I'm paralyzed and principled. HELP.”

Laura, thanks for asking. In pouring through years of advertising research summaries to write my book, Brand Aid, I discovered that while talking about more benefits increases the appeal of a given brand, once more than two benefits are communicated, people begin to lose the ability to associate the brand with any specific benefit. That is, nothing in particular is linked with the brand in their minds. So, I am a strong advocate of focusing on one or two unique and compelling benefits -- period. The trick is to find the ones that lead to relevant differentiation and brand insistence. Regarding target markets, branding has always been about focus. The most successful brands pick a market segment or two that is/are appealing for any combination of the following reasons -- the market is large, it is growing rapidly, it is highly profitable, the brand has or can obtain a large share of that market, it is difficult for other brands to enter the market, it is easy for brands to exit the market, their brand is uniquely qualified to meet that market's needs, their brand's promise is highly compelling to that market. There will always be sales spillover from the target market to other markets, but a brand should never try to be "all things to all people."

The most successful brands generally focus on a given market and try to meet more and more of that market's needs, often through additional products and services. This leads to customer intimacy, emotional connection and loyalty. Regarding media, it is always more cost effective to be as focused as possible in media buys. Find vehicles that are very efficient at reaching your primary targets. And focus on frequency with those markets (versus a broader reach). This is how strong brands are built. Become known for something important to a very loyal set of highly targeted customers instead of trying to be different things to a wide variety of customers to whom the brand means little.

The danger always lies at the point at which a brand has grown all that its management believes it can among its core markets. At this point, brands often branch out to embrace new benefits and target new types of customers with different values and product purchase and usage behaviors. Watch out. Make sure you are not confusing or diluting what the brand stands for when you do this.

Regarding working with clients that just don't "get it," I always speak the truth with them. And, I try to be compelling in how I convey that truth. That is what they are paying me to do as a consultant. However, because of ignorance or ego or some other dysfunction, sometimes they ignore me. On rare occasions I have walked away from clients with whom I believe I cannot work effectively with. I've known marketing consultants and agencies that have done the same.

Focus is a good cause Laura. Best of luck with your clients.