Be Clear, Not Loud
by Richard Broadbent (27 June 2006)
Be clear, not loudWhen it comes to brands, clarity and not quantity, is the necessary ingredient. Worldwide, the best logos, jingles and catchphrases are those that convey meaning in the clearest possible way. The very best are those that can do this without the need for translation.
The average attention span of consumers today is short. With the prolific increase in advertising mediums over the last century, a consumer is saturated daily with marketing, from TV commercials and newspapers spreads to billboards and internet pop-ups. The brain has to filter out this barrage of information and, whilst companies spend millions each year on types of subliminal messaging, most adverts are simply forgotten or ignored.
To compete with this jungle of brand messages, it is important that you focus your message, to make it as clear and succinct as possible. Any brand that leaves you in two minds about its message after a couple of seconds is destined to fail. No matter how often you show that advert or plaster it over the side of buses and buildings, no one will pay it much attention.
Take Ronseal’s wood stain advertising campaign tagline: ‘Does exactly what it says on the tin’. This slogan worked effectively for a DIY product, as it conveyed the message that the product was both reliable and easy to use, exactly what most amateur DIY enthusiasts are after. Likewise, CNN’s tagline, ‘Be the first to know’, is even more effective. Not only is it short and clear, but also it conveys, in a personal way, that this news corporation can help you stay on top of rapidly evolving world events.
A confusing brand image, by contrast, can deal a killer blow to a company. Take, for example, Nici’s tribulations when it was recently forced bankrupt after buying the rights to the 2006 World Cup’s mascot, ‘Goleo’. The mascot, a lion wearing a football shirt, was shunned by German consumers who were confused as to the merit of a lion being the face of its World Cup when the lion is England’s icon, in the same way that the eagle is Germany’s and the cockerel France’s. Furthermore, despite Goleo’s cute, Muppet-inspired features, the fact that he wears a shirt and no shorts was seen as vaguely offensive. In sum, the mascot failed as a brand image because it was unclear in its message and design, and did not relate enough to what it was trying to promote.
Of course, it is impossible to have a clear brand message when an organisation itself is undecided as to what that message is. This can be seen on a huge scale within the European Union. After the French and Dutch refused to ratify the European Constitution, the European Commission called on the services of Simon Anholt, a leading British brand consultant, to try and change the image of the EU. His observations were that the Union lacks a strong, centralised command structure, as, by its very nature, it must listen to the opinions of a broad spectrum of governmental and non-governmental organisations. Because of this, decision making is understandably slow in the EU, and there can be a lot of misinformation and confusion over policies. This situation means that, to many, the message of the EU can lack clarity and, as a result, easily fall prey to its critics.
In business, aim for your brand to be clear, both in terms of image and content. Everyone can recognise the blue field and circle of gold stars of the European Union, but could you sum up its message as clearly as Ronseal and CNN can theirs? Time spent coming to grips with what your message is, will be time well spent.
