The power of one

If you want your marketing to have more impact, more memorability, and more resonance – say less.

From our tablets to TVs, radios to restrooms, billboards to banner ads, we're bombarded with advertising messages 24/7/365. It's impossible to look somewhere and not see a logo, headline or graphic trying to sell us something from the moment we wake up until we are in the arms of Morpheus. Though I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't start seeing ads in our dreams soon.

With this kind of clutter, complicated messages are quickly ignored.

Say one thing. Stand for one thing. Be one thing. In today's Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World it's the only chance you have.

Buick is living large

I've been seeing a lot of the new Buick campaign featuring sports stars Shaquille O'Neal and Peyton Manning.





Like all good endorsements, these spots leverage each of the all-stars' unique characteristics – Shaq is famous for being big and Manning for calling audibles in a highly demonstrative manner – to highlight important features of each car.

Still, it's not my favorite campaign for a few reasons.

First, does anybody really believe that either Mr. O'Neal or Mr. Manning would choose to drive a Buick were they not paid to do so?

Second, the performances while not bad, are about what you'd expect from your basic celebrity endorsement.

And third, at 7'1" and 6'6" respectively O'Neal and Manning make these cars look really small and uncomfortable.

Given that Buick is all about comfort, that may not be the best impression to leave with people.

Yeah, these celebrities may fit the brand, it's just too bad they don't fit in the cars.

Now

There's only one moment that matters. The one you're in right now. What you choose to do in this moment sets the course for the next moment, the moment after that and the moment after that.

So instead of worrying about what was or will be, focus on what is.

A great objective, an insightful strategy can only be achieved by taking care of what's necessary now.

The origin of cool

Cool is a funny thing, especially for brands.

Dos Equis is cool. So is Apple. And after decades of being uncool, Old Spice suddenly is.

So where does cool come from?

Two places: the product and the truth.

Dos Equis is cool because the beer is different and the advertising makes it interesting. And when you're out at a bar, being interesting is a good thing to be.



Apple is cool because their products, their interfaces, their ecosystems are excellent. They allow people to benefit from technology without having to know technology. When it's at its best, that's what Apple's advertising focuses on.



Not long ago, Old Spice was about as far from cool as you could get.



But one insight: men want to smell like a man (an asset buried deep in the brand's heritage), and one great campaign propelled Old Spice from a bit player to the #1 brand in the category.



Want to be cool? Make a great product. Find the truth in your category. Then create a campaign that's authentic to you and your brand.

It's just that easy.