Audience First Marketing is the system I have developed to create successful marketing campaigns in the modern media world.

It has been developed through applying a lot of experience and research into people and how they behave.

Here are the 5 Steps to Audience First Marketing

If you want further information, drop me a line.

• Identify the target audiences. It is not one, it could be 8, but to get started you should be able to think of four types of people that you want to talk to, and who are the most likely to buy from you. Use your experience of existing customers.
• Workshop the audiences into personas. Get together with a few friends of colleagues and think about the people, not your product. Who are they, what are they interested in, what is their status regarding age, income, interests, gender, location. Do they like sport or music, are they interested in walking or travelling, do they have children or are they downsizing?

• Once identified, then you do a simple process: “I want – so that”. What do they want out of buying from you , and step beyond the purchase into their lives. I wrote an ad once for a software company “Once we introduced Uibol Software, my golf handicap went down to 10”. The benefit to the purchaser was that he had more time, less stress, and more happiness. Not that he had some software.
• Use the So-That answers to create content for your audiences. Here is an example:

I want an E-Car – So that “I have less impact on the environment” – Content – Easy ways to help

the environment.

I want an E-Car – So that – “I spend less on fuel” – Content – Ways to reduce your fuels bills.

The call to action on these pieces of content takes the people to the next step of your sales process – a button that has further specific content – ie – Five things you didn’t know about e- cars.

Host the content you create on your website. When people click on the link on their social media feeds they will be brought to your sitge and then they can browse other pages and find out more about you.

• Finally – promote the content – not the product. Share your content on social with organic posts on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin. Pay to promote the content to your target audiences.

The Outcomes

Audience First Marketing works. Here’s why.

• Your audiences have engaged with you
• They know who you are
• They have spent time with you
• You will never be unknown to them again.
• You have shown that you are more interested in them than your sale.

For more information, or to arrange a meeting, give me a call

The global pandemic has given us time to pause and think. Our normal lives have been interrupted, and many people in business have had to be fast on their feet to try and keep trading.

But now that we are seeing a move towards what was normal, the question to ask is, do we want to go back to the way things were done before Coronvairus, or is this an opportunity to reflect and improve?

Throughout history, major change has been brought about by innovation. The lives of the ordinary person in Europe was not significantly improved by the removal of serfdom until the arrival of the steam engine and the Industrial Revolution that followed. Whereas 90% of the workforce had been in agriculture, within 50 years that had switched around as people moved to the cities to work in factories. The arrival of the railways in the Victorian Age saw huge growth in manufactued goods as the ability to transport them around the country totally changed. Meanwhile luddites were trying to stop new working practices, and machinery was attacked to prevent the new.

Then in the 20th Century manufacuring jobs were surpassed by services. Automation, from the assembly line introduced by Henry Ford, to the development of interchangeable parts meant that industry no longer needed as many people, and costs were reduced by investment in technology.

Consumer goods from the 1950s have been the lifeblood of the economy. Television, white goods, cars and the resulting change in travel, then flight becoming a commodity not a luxury saw tourism move from local to international.

Working hours? Should they suit the company and the employees, or retailers and restaurants? And should the company and the employees also be flexible for their customers? So if I want to consult a law firm or an accountancy practice, should I suit them, or they suit me? The Northern Ireland Business Facebook Group is active from morning to night, so I am seeing flexibility in small businesses, and opportunity for service companies to be flexible. Does a store owner want to take time out of the trading day to visit their accountant? Should they have to visit at all? Whereas phone calls are seen as normal practice, Zoom or Teams is being luddited as “not the same as meeting in person”. A fakery that suits the argument but is not real.

The rejection of the new is not limited to us locally. We are living in a world where history lite is used to remind us of the past almost every day. Anniversaries of this event or that, with the rose tinted glasses that blind us to the fact that the past was not a very comfortable place. The ‘Fifites are presented as safe and secure, with nothing to remind of the social divisions, rationing, relaxed racism and sheer drudgery for women who had to “run” the home, while men ruled the roost.

Brexit is a backward looking process, a last hurrah for those that believe that the Great in Great Britain is real and not now exceptionalism that is no longer warranted, if it ever was for those that were the factory fodder and not the wealthy owning class.

So what might new look like?

Why is creativity so important in communications?

When you see something you remember it – whether that memory is conscious or subconscious can depend heavily on how you connect. Is it memorable? In my career in advertising the campaigns I worked on varied from the hard-hitting sales and promotional ads for Crazy Prices to brand and public service ads to change behaviour. They all had a creative element so that they would stand out in an ad break on TV, and messaging that would engage the viewer.

By creating a memory we are starting along the road of delivering results, to shift behaviour towards achieving the goals we have set.

Being creative is being different. There is a lot of competition out there. People control their own time and media engagement more than ever.

So how do you develop creative content?

For a start, you need to have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve.

To do this you can follow a process, and it is all about Audience First Marketing.

First of all, think about the audience you are going to try to influence.

Who are they?

What age, gender, income bracket, family situation.

This is a top-line persona. Because within that profile there will be sub-sections that are dependent on interests, political bent, types of media they like and more.

Then with a little Agile technique, “I want – so that “ you can think about why they would buy from you? What are they getting out of the transaction? Sure they get the product or service, but is that it? Or are you giving them comfort, satisfaction, happiness, less stress, opportunities?

What are people getting when they buy a set of golf clubs? 14 sticks to hit a ball?

No.

They are getting healthy, chatting on the course, connecting to nature, socialising, satisfaction from a good shot, and the potential to get better at golf.

So engaging potential customers about golf clubs has huge potential for creative content.

Where will the audience see your content?

You have to create the right content for the media you are going to use. Too often I see press ads online. TV Ads on Facebook. Brand ads in Newsfeeds. The new digital space is being misused more often than it is done well. What does that person on Facebook want? An ad from you, or interesting content that is designed to interest them?

A bit of disruption

Another part of developing a creative strategy is using disruptive techniques. This involves research, looking at the conventions in the market and how by disrupting them you can create space for your product or service.

The hardest part of developing a creative mindset is disabling your own conventions. We are all programmed by our experiences, education and environment. There are hierarchies in meetings that prevent people from sharing their ideas. The fear of being ridiculed is high.

When do you get old enough and experienced enough to say your bit and risk offending just about everyone involved in marketing? Well, I think 62, with 40+ years experience is the moment. Have a look at my profile and you’ll see I’ve earned my spurs, so I am not going to pussyfoot about.

If you are open-minded, then you may take this on board, if you are in a closed loop of thinking, then you may well take what I say, bin it and never consider it again.

We have been through nothing less than a revolution in the past ten years. A worldwide revolution that has had more impact than the Russian Revolution in 1917. A communications revolution.

Ten years ago, we were at the beginning. Mobile phones were becoming smartphones. Early adopters were being joined by more and more people who were quickly adapting their lives to the digital age of handheld internet fed by wifi and then in 2013, 4G. A smartphone was no longer a luxury, it was a necessity. You need one to keep in contact with your friends and to do your work. Texting became messaging and YouTube was joined by Netflix and then Amazon Prime. The television became a smart tv, with numerous choices on the remote.

Newspapers are in terminal decline, with young people not developing the reading habit. Radio has held its own but is facing competition from the arrival of Amazon Echo technology in cars, and the Google Home Mini joining the Echo in the home.

And this is happening all around the world.

The revolution in communication has resulted in a revolution in behavioural change. People are doing things differently because they have complete control over what media they use, where they use it, and when.

So has there been a marketing revolution to match the change in communications and behaviour?

No.

Of course, there has been a change. But I still see marketing communications based around ads. I see ads put on the digital channels, but too often they are ads that should be used on TV, not on social media or games. I see ads that should be in newspapers being put onto Facebook or Twitter, getting in the way of my feed. I then click through to the most boring content that is written as if it is for an ad in a trade magazine. And usually overwritten at that.

Have companies that need good marketing changed to meet this revolutionary change?

No. I know this for a fact. I spoke to a potential client, and he talked to their marketing team. He got back, they are not interested, they are doing it all right, they don’t need any more input. Yet when I look at their marketing, it is, well to be honest, as boring as a really boring thing, and will do nothing to change people’s view of their brand (it is one of the big four accountancy practices in Belfast). Would I go as far as to say that it is bound by conventions, lacks innovation, and endorses the current view of the brand rather than changing it?

What do you think?

So the revolution is being ignored. Marketing is not adapting to change or opportunities. The revolution means that the individual is at the core of all potential success. That person on their smartphone on the bus is watching what they want to watch. That child at home is not looking at the same thing as their Mum, Dad, brother or sister. They are also avoiding the ads. How do I know, because, given the option, people will avoid ads.

And after Brexit and the Coronavirus, there are companies that need to look at new markets but are not buying into the revolution. They are thinking they know how the world works, despite all the evidence to the contrary. A closed loop.

Marketing that thinks the individual is interested in you is marketing that will not work. Marketing that makes the individual think you are interested in them, will.

I hear the words traditional and digital. Forget that, All advertising and marketing in 2020 exists in this new digital world, with a new language, new behaviour, new choices, new retailers, new options to buy, new banks, new taxi companies, new property companies, new clouds. Old fashioned advertising continues from a business that used to be at the forefront of innovation.

So are you going into the 2020s with an open mind to the revolution? Or are you going to stick? Hold your ground. And watch your business fade away.

Sometimes you come across a book or two that are just right. That just explain to you what you think you have been thinking, but have not been able to arrange properly in your head so that you get it. These two books have done that for me in recent weeks.

Matthew Syed’s in-depth analysis of how we think about, deal with and use so-called failure is a lesson in business management. He shows with research that those with open minds are so much more productive than those that create atmospheres of fear in their businesses or sectors. You will be more worried about going into hospital than flying on a plane, with the equivalent of two jumbo jet passenger lists dying every day in the US due to errors in hospitals. A mistake in a hospital is most likely to be explained away or unreported because mistakes are seen as incompetence, while in the aeronautical sector, mistakes are seen as opportunities to prevent future problems. He talks about research that shows the difference in Fixed Mindsets, where people are not open to innovation or creativity because it might not work, compared with Growth Mindsets, where ideas are welcomed, mistakes reported because there is no negative comeback and the talent that exists in the business or even country, thrives. Japan, where mistakes are shameful, has one of the lowest levels of innovation and investment in new businesses due to the attitude to failure. In the US failure is seen as an attempt to succeed and a start point for the next venture. The premise of the book that we are human and we make mistakes, but that those that are open to learning build better companies and get more out of people. Mistakes are what we do when we are children learning how to talk, or do simple things. Scientific development revolves around experimentation, with a low level of expectation. Dyson tried out over 4000 ways to develop his vacuum cleaner, most give up at less than 100. We need resilience, not perfection.

Charlene Li talks about Disruption and the need to let go of set values and systems if you are going to succeed in the 2020s. Look at the media and retail worlds and how they have been changed completely in ten years. The companies that have gone failed to see that change was happening and would be long term. The wistful hope that things would revert to as before was wishful thinking of the highest order. It is like the people who “don’t like” that mobile phones are used all over the place (until they need to look at theirs) and think that somehow social media and the internet will vanish. Her book talks of how Adobe completely reconstructed their route to market by going subscription on the cloud from buying software discs. Two years of financial reconstruction followed by huge growth in the turnover, margin and therefore profit.

Both of the authors talk about mindset, and core to mindset is communication. How management engages with employees, how mistakes are seen as failure or opportunities to prevent future errors. In the Toyota factory in Japan, if a worker on the production line makes an error, he has a button to push that stops the line, so that the error can be rectified, AND they can work out how to stop it happening again.

Watching the Netflix documentary about Formula One shows this approach in action. One episode is about Haas, a team that had a terrible time in2019. They created a blame culture, the team principal was aggressive and old school, ranting and raving, pointing fingers, creating fear. The next episode is about Mercedes, led by Toto Wolff. They made a complete mess of the German Grand Prix, but he said: “We are a no blame team, we all take responsibility for the successes and failures – it is difficult sometimes – but that is what we do.” Who has won the last six world titles? Not Haas.

The Growth Mindset needs open-minded nurturing, the Fixed Mindset relies on fear and secrecy. Open-minded does not mean a once a year state of the nation speech from the CEO, with a few so-called values thrown in. Charlene Li in another of her books Open Leadership talks of being told before a presentation that everyone would know the values and goals of the company because they had been told at another meeting. On asking the people in the room, no-one could recall all five. The leadership box had been ticked and put away for another year.

So ask yourself this. Do you create or work in an open-minded environment? Or are you nervous about speaking out, or pointing out possible improvements? Are do you have a Growth or Fixed mindset?

This is all about behaviour, and how to change it. Behavioural change revolves around communications. Marketing is all about changing the behaviour of existing and potential customers. Language can create positive or negative responses. Attitudes can encourage teamwork or close it down.

Serious businesses approach their futures by taking their communications and leadership seriously, not by making a state of the Union speech every year by a CEO that no one really knows. What would you prefer to spend your time doing, watching a video of a man talking about the business in a corporate-speak, or to read “Ten things you didn’t know about the Boss!”

Do you know much about the people you work with, the company goals, the business plan etc.? Do you feel that your talents are being used to their full capacity? Are you involved in the strategy of the business? Have you more to contribute? Or if you are a director, are you closed to sharing? Do you create an innovative environment? Do you create real opportunities to hear the ideas of the people in your organisation?

Creating a Growth Factor for your business may come naturally, but it can be challenging. Being open means being open to help, to admit that others might be more able than you in certain areas. I am good at marketing and communications but am useless at languages. No-one ie expected to know everything. To quote Toto Wolff again, “I don’t know how to design the aerodynamics of the car, but I have someone who does.” So if you believe that communications are central to leadership, growth, sales and success, give me a call. I’ll be there.

America is the land of advertising. MadMen – (named after Madison Avenue, not the mental state of ad people), Coke, commercial television, soap operas (originally radio shows sponsored by soap powders). Growing up Advertising Age came into the house with stories of accounts worth millions changing hands, and the stars of the adworld winning business with new ideas. Bill Bernbach, David Ogilvy, J Walter Thompson, Marion Harper and many more.

And now I was going to a 10 day training course, run by McCann Erickson. Nothing small – it was “The Worldwide Leadership Development Program” and would be attended by 40 of the brightest young things in McCann from around the globe. And me.

We gathered in Arden House, upstate New York. Donated to the University of Columbia by Averell Harriman, whose family had been one of the big railroad developers. Not a house, not a mansion, a palace.

I sat down for dinner with ten others. I was nervous. A guy with curly hair and a huge moustache offered his hand.

“Hi, Eric”

I am not sure if I am a fan of the word creativity in the world of marketing and communications. I am always a little embarrassed to say that the work I produced was creative, with the background thought that real creativity comes from artists, writers, composers and sculptors, those that start with a blank canvas and develop something totally original.

But where I do enjoy the word creative in the marketing environment is in conjunction with the word team. I love working in a creative team.

All the best campaigns I have been involved with have involved teamwork. Ideas that are initiated and then developed in a completely unstructured meeting where the atmosphere allows open thinking and where everyone is given an opportunity to throw something into the ring. A simple thought or statement can be picked up and run with for a while, and then may hit a wall or go the whole way to pitch.

My role has often been as a facilitator. I have been at the game long enough to enable people to feel confident enough to speak their minds without the embarrassment that presenting something new can often bring. It is also to translate something into a start point that can develop in several directions so that the initial idea is no longer visible when the final decision of what to do is made, but the team know what started the ball rolling.

I also focus on the audience. What will appeal to them? In various research projects, I have learned that the target audiences are often more open-minded than the client or the agency. A campaign I was involved in had three creative concepts put into research. The idea that came out top by a long way was the one that we thought would be difficult to convey. It got made and worked.

The problem in an SME economy is that a team means more than one, and a lot of businesses have a marketing person. I see it in job specs. Applicants need to have a full understanding of writing, using digital media channels such as Google Analytics and Adwords, be able to design, have ideas, and deliver results. In the world of larger businesses, each of those would be a person with specialist skills to deliver those parts of a campaign. It is also difficult to develop the confidence to present new ideas to people who by nature are conservative. Imagine presenting the Cadbury’s Gorilla to your boss!

So in an SME the team has to bring in people who do not have a marketing background. That is where structure comes in. Using techniques such as disruption and agile give non-marketeers a better opportunity to participate in idea generation and can open up the discussion to allow the marketers to present ideas that are not fully formed, but the team develop, rather than presenting a final concept.

So if you want to fast track to having a team for a project or at the initial stage, then give me a call, and I will join your team for the required amount of time. It will be worth it