Marketing Bisnis

They sure knew how to get your attention, those streakers of old did. They did it by employing the elements of shock and surprise. And, of course, they always seemed to play the nudity card!

Come to think of it, the nudity part was sort of the key to the whole streaking thing.

Anyway, as one of your company's marketers, wouldn't it be cool to be able to apply the "streaker mentality" to your marketing efforts? I'm talking about the concept of figuratively stopping whatever else is going on in the marketplace and drawing all eyes to your product, if only for a brief, focused moment. When a streaker would break loose onto a baseball or soccer field, the game stopped.

THE GAME STOPPED!

People gasped. People laughed. People were appalled. But, whatever their reaction, the game stopped and people watched a buck naked guy proudly flopping in the wind as he serpentined his way through stadium security. If you ever saw a streaker at a sporting event, I'll bet you all the lint-covered change in my pocket that you can't recall the final score of the game. It's the naked guy you remember.

Here's the parallel: The marketplace is the game, except this game is going on all the time and all around you. The game is so loud, so colorful, so ubiquitous that it's very tough to get noticed (and remembered) by the audience - the people to whom you need to sell your product. It’s tough, that is, until you find a way to stop the game...if only for that brief, focused moment.

Cracking my Psychology 101 book just enough to peak in, I can see that there are two basic modes in which consumers cruise through their day. While in Alpha mode, your audience is basically oblivious to the radio and TV spots, the billboards, the print ads, the Web banners, and the thousands of other stimuli that surround them. That’s partly because so many of the messages tout products that hold no immediate interest to them; and partly because, even if they could derive value from the product, the message itself is not unique enough to stand out from all the rest. So, it goes unnoticed.

Beta Mode, however, is a more conscious state; a state in which the consumer is actively involved with the message: listening, laughing, filing away the information for future use, or, even better, acting upon the call to action. This is where you want your audience to be.

What snaps your audience from Alpha mode into Beta mode is what’s known as an Activator; an attention-grabbing headline; a compelling image; that special piece of music; that voice; that copy. It’s the element of your message that plucks an emotional chord in the recipient and elicits a desired response. It could be the warm-and-fuzzies (The irresistible sound of a baby cooing), or it could be the acknowledgment of a specific pain (“Face it! Dandruff is ruining your life!”). The Activator is the streaker! It opens the audience’s hearts and minds to your message.

Remember these letters when planning your company’s marketing messages:

I - E - E - O

They stand for Interrupt, Engage, Educate and Offer

First, interrupt the game with your version of streaking! Grab their attention. Snap them out of that snoozey Alpha mode and into the receptive Beta mode. This doesn’t require yelling. Imagination speaks much louder.

Secondly, once you have their focused attention, engage your audience with information that draws them even deeper into your message.

Thirdly, educate. Provide facts. Back up the claim in your headline. Build a case for your product.

Finally, make ‘em an offer. It should be easy to understand. And it should not require a commitment, like a call or visit from a salesperson.

When you lead with a streaker, you’ll snap your audience out of complacency, and help them to open up enough for you to plant a thought.

Now put your clothes back on and get marketing!