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August 2007
continuity (kan'te noo'e tee) Noun 1. a continuous state or
quality 2. unbroken, coherent whole
Sound continuity in a
marketing program brings a sense of sameness to every
marketing communication piece. It allows you to build
relationships with your customers contact after contact,
while establishing a marketing communications program that
is truly a bridge between customer and company.
While national companies
generally flourish in terms of continuity, many local
businesses falter in this area. At times, local marketing
programs lack the thematic ties to the company's big brand
picture. This inconsistency does little to break through the
competitive barriers that exist. After all, consumers are bombarded with
thousands of commercial messages every week. Breaking
through the chaos is not just about developing an ultra
creative ad. Rather, these barriers are broken by creating
and committing to unique, consistent messages that
build from one marketing piece to the next.
For instance, one of my pet peeves is the logo slapper
pieces that prevent the building of such continuity. These
are ads, brochures, etc., sold by marketing companies in which
your logo is simply slapped on a
nice creative marketing communication's piece to make it yours. The problem with
these pieces is that they rarely speak to a distinguishable brand identity.
After all, that same ad could belong to any number of
businesses--just with a different logo, which is merely one touch point in the branding process.
To achieve true
continuity, each marketing piece should be able to be recognized by
its various
components. Try this: turn your marketing pieces into a
puzzle. Do it. Grab a few ads and brochures. Cut them into
pieces...the headlines, the body copy, etc. Can you tell
from one piece of the puzzle to the next that each piece is a
representation of your company, your brand identity? Is a
similar font used throughout? Are there headline identifiers
that speak to your brand from one piece to the next? If not,
you may have a Continuity Crises on your hands.
Marketing Communications
pieces, whether they be brochures, television ads, print ads
or business cards should all speak loudly and clearly toward
your branding program. Why? Because these pieces are geared
to provide a sales road map to the customer while
allowing you to build relationships with clients from touchpoint to touchpoint--creating a lasting impression
through a series of similar communications. In other words,
seeing a similar theme, message and overall identity within
a series of ads will make a stronger impression on consumers
after 10 exposures over multiple weeks, than similar exposure
to ads that have unrelated messages and themes, but merely
contain the same logo. These impressions serve as a forerunner
to relationships with potential consumers before they grace
your door. Meanwhile, current customers recognize
this continuity as a reinforced message of the various products and
level of service they are already experiencing with
your company.
Sure, you could slap a logo
on any piece as part of anything from a print ad to a statement
stuffer. However, if the various parts of that piece, when
considered individually, have trouble speaking to your brand
identity, don't expect great results and don't expect a
great deal of equity pumped into your brand. Remember,
continuity breaks through the barriers created by the sheer
volume of marketing messages while helping build
relationships with prospects and customers.
© BrandVision Marketing.
2007. Matthew Scott Trueblood. All rights reserved.
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