Writer’s block. Dead end ideas. The feeling your message is getting lost despite all your best efforts. It happens to the best of us and it can strike at any time. This holds true when it comes to crafting a good marketing campaign as well. You get so bogged down in making things cutting edge and new that you forget what your message and purpose was in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, marketing that pushes the envelope or that makes you do a double take is all fine and well and it has its place. But there comes a point when you just can’t see your way out of a path you’ve gone down and you need something to pull you out of it.
As most writers and marketers can attest to it, this happens more often than we’d like. I was feeling this way when I sat down to write this blog last night. I’d bookmarked dozens of articles on the latest and greatest in the marketing world. Emailed myself links to campaigns I wanted to touch on. I’d even sent screenshots of the things I wanted to highlight and break down the strategies behind them. I was so prepared.
So, I sat down. I opened it all up. I stared. I thought about how to tie it all together. These campaigns were smart. They were edgy. They surely had thousands of marketing dollars sunk into their creation and promotion. They were bright and shiny and oh, so professional. I stared some more. I felt nothing. Cue the mire.
At times like these I, like most people, reach for something comforting and familiar, something I know will incite an emotional response and put me at ease. Last night, that was a trusty glass of sauvignon blanc and The Last Waltz in the DVD player. (For those of you who aren’t familiar, The Last Waltz is Martin Scorsese’s personal, joyous and at time heart breaking documentary of The Band’s farewell concert. To see its brilliance go here.) The DVD was given to me by a dear friend who sent it my way when I was at a low point in my career and couldn’t find my way out. Watch it he told me, and you’ll see something new. He was right.
So, I sat. I watched. I sipped. I listened. My head cleared and I began to feel. The ideas started to flow again. Wham-o, inspiration. And you know why? There’s comfort in the familiar. A simple piece of media can bring forth memories of dear friends and good times and ways you’d like to see your life. In essence, it does what every advertisement should do – it makes you feel. And after all, isn’t that what good marketing is all about? What good are bells and whistles when you can’t relate to the fanfare?
It’s important to remember this fact when crafting your marketing strategies. With the ever-increasing reach and impact of social media, we can harness these mediums to bring customers back to a place of familiarity and comfort and in turn it endears your product to them. They remember you.
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