Indiantelevision.com Team

(29 May 2007 7:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Brands need to discover an 'Identifiable Difference' says Paul Weyland Training Seminars president Paul Weyland at Promaxbda India during the afternoon session titled 'The Corporate Identity Crisis.'

He believes that brand communication can't be targeted at everyone as people respond to advertising selectively. There is only a certain percentage of people that are switched 'on or off' for various product and service categories. It is, thus, important to aggresively cash in on those select few.

Vouching for word of mouth as the most powerful communication tool, Weyland believes that it can educate that segment of the audience that is not tuned in to the particular product category. Additionally, branding can also act as an insurance against bad word of mouth.

When mapping out the values of a brand, the use of clichés must be avoided. But, more importantly, the "Identifiable Difference" of the brand should be at the crux of the communication.

The "Identifiable Difference" in the advertising message should be aimed at the heart of the consumers as they are swayed by emotion and not by logic in their purchase decisions. This tactic is profoundly effective, he says.

The three key tenets for a good brand communication include an emotional headline that must be impactful in the first five seconds; benefits and results that can be reached by eliminating the usage of cliché's; and a call to action.

"Creative guys are merely sales people that are focused on getting into the hearts and minds of a targeted group. In doing so, they modify the behaviour of the other person without them even knowing," says Weyland.