A Glass of Messaging, Please
Like many denizens of southern California, my bride and I frequently end our day with a glass of wine.
Being so close to many local wineries, it was probably inevitable that we would end up joining a wine club. You know the deal; they pick their latest releases for you every few months and either ship them to you or you can go pick them up.
Plus there’s always a free glass of wine awaiting you to encourage you to visit…and buy more stuff.
Since we both spend WAY too much time at our desks (and we live so close to the winery), we use the bi-monthly releases as an excuse to take a day to pick up our shipment. Which is why we traveled to Temecula this past weekend for a drink and lunch with some friends.
Being both a writer and a communications professional, messaging is very important to me. I understand how critical it is to make every word work towards achieving your objective, and believe that everything is marketing-related.
This explains why the name of the red wine we had collected – Libido – struck me. Such a moniker demands attention while screaming passion and unbridled lust.
We eagerly turned to the label on the bottle’s reverse, containing a story romancing the wine we’d purchased. We anticipated something hot and steamy speaking of the wine’s color matching her lips…or perhaps the bloodshot rage in a jealous husband’s eyes.
No such luck. Instead, we read of a traveler being welcomed to someone’s home. It was nice, but didn’t fulfill the promise made by the product’s name.
As we headed out of town, I found myself driving behind a truck for Personal Plumbing. Now, maybe it was the wine talking, but when I hear the phrase “personal plumbing,” my mind goes to my urologist’s office. So maybe there was a better way for this company to have made the same point.
The bottom line is this: words do matter. Just saying whatever you want without considering the impact on the reader is going to confuse customers and/or make you lose opportunities.
And if you see your message from the other person’s perspective, you might be surprised to realize that sometimes you sound silly, or you’re leaving money on the table.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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