This is a Blog You Should Copy

You would think that running an advertising agency in Phoenix is a highly complex operation given the multitude of platforms we engage to achieve marketing excellence for our clients.

It is … it absolutely is. I mean, every day we are launching new ad campaigns with NASA-like complexity that is not for the faint of heart.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about.

Everyone involved in the business of marketing would be better suited to tell their constituents that they are in the business of storytelling. That’s what it boils down to. We interpret, create and subsequently tell a brand’s story to the audience most likely to engage their product or service. Which, when you say it like that, doesn’t seem like rocket science at all.

Except that it is.

When you stop to think of all the various platforms both traditional and digital that you can use to reach audiences these days you can see how my reference to NASA makes some sense. Further challenges are created when your marketing funds are limited, which … to date, is everyone we’ve ever worked with in the last 13 years. (We have yet to land a federal government account.)

So, what gives? How do you generate response in a convoluted marketplace with an audience that is fragmented and over-stimulated? Oh, and do so with someone who doesn’t have access to the U.S. treasury?

Good copy.

An answer that hasn’t changed in whatever is the recognized lifespan of advertising. It truly all boils down to putting forth a message that resonates with your target audience. This, regardless of platform, is the secret sauce to marketing. I’m kind of sorry that you had to read 232 words of my dribbling on to get the answer that I think some of you already knew. (BTW Happy Birthday Jim Knapp).

Here’s how it works.

When we engage a new client we endeavor to get to know them. This process transcends the personality of the decision maker and gets into how the brand is currently perceived in the marketplace. We then get into how we want that brand to be perceived moving forward. This takes effective messaging on relevant platforms with consumer behavior changing incentives like price, item, and convenience. Sounds easy, right? Well yes, it’s easier than putting Tom Hanks in a rocket and blasting him to the moon, but it’s also not a walk in the park either.

Great copy should accomplish many things, including but not limited to:

1. Engage your target audience
2. Reinforce the value of your brand
3. Differentiate your brand from your competitors
4. Motivate consumers to take action
5. Educate a consumer who lacks awareness of your brand
6. Tell your story (sometimes in 4 words or less)
7. Put forth your most prominent brand attributes
8. Make your mother proud of you
9. Be memorable at the point of sale
10. Be easy to understand

At ReThinc, we have a team of people responsible for creating your brand’s copy. That process starts with you (the client). We then apply our interpretation taking into account your target audience, the platform we need to use to deliver said message, and the goals of our campaign.

Beyond that, your copy may be scrutinized and influenced by the hippies in our creative department, the nerds in our digital department and ultimately Gina Rossi, our content specialist who sounds like she may be the host of an Italian cooking show on HGTV. Gina majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. She speaks with a nearly imperceptible German accent despite her Italian heritage and has a complexion that would make a Maybelline model jealous.

You probably didn’t need to know all of that … or maybe you did? Regardless, it’s good copy.

Our goal is to create effective copy that does all the aforementioned things listed above. More importantly, the real goal is to fulfill our promise to grow your business. In the highly complex world of rocket science … I mean advertising, it always comes down to great copy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Ed Olsen is the president/owner of ReThinc Advertising and Public Relations. He has lots of opinions on all things marketing. To read more of them, click here.