Seal it with a K.I.S.S.
We’ve all heard it, said it, wished for it and vowed to never forget it. Yet we get busy, have too much on our mind, develop the curse of knowledge and it becomes elusive. Of course I am referring to the all too familiar K.I.S.S. (aka keep it simple stupid) mantra.
In a complex world, it matters more today than ever before. And here’s why – according to research we are exposed to 3,000 marketing message per day, up from 1,500 in 1965. That’s a lot of info for the old cranium that according to evolutionary psychology hasn’t changed a whole lot since Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals.
When it comes to jockeying for position in the marketplace and looking to get consumer’s to purchase your product over the competitions, here’s a couple of things to keep in mind.
Beware of information overload – consumers deal with too much information by oversimplifying and shutting out what is not consistent with their knowledge and experience.
Connect to the known with a twist – link to what consumers already believe. If you’re competing head to head with a competitor you may be better to “state the elephant in the room” rather than ignoring it. In the ‘70’s 7 Up positioned themselves as the Uncola and saw their market share soar.
Understand their “little boxes” – the human brain relies on frames (little mental boxes we build in our mind) vs. facts to make decisions. Our brain thinks in images – you say table; my mind’s eye conjures up a picture of a table. Your target customer has a bunch of little mental boxes they’ve erected that they’re measuring you against. Know the boxes and your probability of reaching them increases significantly.
So they next time you’re gathered round the boardroom table reviewing the message you’re taking to market, forgo the complexities and seal it with a K.I.S.S.
