Friday, February 1, 2008

Sticking with a Purpose

Recently I had the opportunity to read Chip and Dan Heath's new book entitled "Made to Stick". The book was somewhat intriguing because I was applying their concepts to marketing as I read through the book. And, it made sense.

The premise of making something 'stick' that requires a balance of simplicity and concreteness is true in marketing execution. Being able to effectively connect your offering with buyers can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be impossible. However, it does require messages that have substance and are meaningful for the intended recipient. As the Heath fellas point out, there is an emotional connection involved, too.

In marketing your messages, doing so in the form of stories is very powerful. In fact, this is addressed on the Heath brothers blog where research indicates that stories carry more weight than advertisements. Well, obviously - assuming the story is well told, has substance, is believable, appeals to the buyer's emotions - - ahh, is sticky!

Well, I suppose they're on to something.