"That was bloody good and so clear and straightforward".

A nice response from a workshop attendee last week. I used the information below to steer the conversation and outcomes.

Here's to it being helpful to more of you.

Getting the fundamentals right shouldn't be hard. Even though 'Marketing in the Era of Accountability' (2009), & 'The Long & The Short of It' (2013) by Les Binet and Peter Field, 'How Brands Grow' by Byron Sharp (2010), and works from Jenni Romaniuk, James Hurman, Tom Roach, Dr Grace Kite, Orlando Wood, Andrew Tindall, numerous articles by Mark Ritson, and hundreds of podcasts from Jon Evans and Fergus O'Carroll, so many brands don't apply them, which only reduces their marketing effectiveness.

Over the years, I've used this to significant effect, especially during my 8 years at PHD with Simon Bird and James Davidson, alongside incredible creative partners at DDB Group, Colenso BBDO, and TBWA\New Zealand.

To maximise effectiveness, getting the fundamentals right, nailing the messaging, and hiring good creatives to create communications and campaigns that garner attention is essential.

So much of what we do is wholly ignored.

Even though TV is one of our most effective channels, more than 80% of TV ads are not recalled by viewers the next day (the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute).

2.5 seconds of attention are needed to create or reinforce a memory; over 80% of advertising fails to meet this standard (Karen Nelson-Field).

Even though online platforms tell marketers to create more, publish more, and invest more, most of what is produced is ignored, and billions are wasted promoting it.

You can despair at this, or you can say, "f*!k it, I'm going to create marketing and advertising that is in the small percentage that gets noticed, builds likeability and preference, all to allow me to attract more customers and discount less.

We have so much to occupy our minds, efforts, and budgets. Doing less is so often considerably more.

Think about the customer journey or lack thereof. Understand who's in and out of the market to buy right now. Be clear on how much or little your audience cares and how much they'll want to hear and see.

Priming: What is the one thing you could say that would get the attention of an out-of-market audience (but potentially future customers)?

Once you have it, keep on saying it!

Nudging: What are the 1-4 things you could say to nudge people towards choosing you? It could be a category entry point (Ehrenberg-Bass Institute) or a little more information when folks are looking for it.

Converting: Dial up your offer, but know that if you do a better job of priming and nudging, you could offer a lower discount or none at all (hello, sweet margin!).

Retaining: It's worth remembering that most folks buy a brand once, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to keep them by delivering a great experience and fulfilling their needs. Just don't bombard them with countless offer-based emails.

If you need help with this, let me know.