MAD MARKETING TACTICS™ !: halo effect

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Marketing Artisically - Inspiration By Association - The HALO EFFECT

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This is an unusual post for the formidable, venerable, respected and highly serious Mad Marketing Tactics Blog. You might be tempted to snicker, or guffaw, or perhaps to even turn into a Human Vaporizer and involuntary spray (or spew) an atomized beverage out of your nose at the innocent luncheon companion opposite you. There will doubtless be some collateral damage. But then, haven't the wisest among us said that such might be the case?

Haven't we heard Cousin Frankie say things such as "If ya wanna make a omelet, ya gotta break some eggs? Eh? You listening or what?" [Frankie went on to become a prominent and beloved New Jersey politician].

But the folks (and I have been occasionally referred to as 'one of them,' as well as by a number of unprintable epithets) at Mpower Brands Partnership who are in the process of finalizing their MPower Escape Case product line for international distribution know their business.

Sometimes the best way to have your audience truly recognize the greatness and extraordinary potential of your brand or product is by association (regardless of how presumptuous, pompous, extreme, distasteful or outrageous) with an established, well documented success. This is commonly referred to as the "Halo Effect." Sounds silly - It works!

Feast your eyes on this wonderful artifact below, with its sacred aura and almost religious implications. Doesn't it remind you of the TEN COMMANDMENTS? Well?

If you're laughing, you should be quite ashamed of yourselves.

On a serious note, inspiration by association (i.e., the "Halo Effect") is a proven marketing power tool. Just ask MPower -- as soon as they finish wandering through the desert of contemporary marketing!

Douglas E. Castle [http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com]

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Marketing: Graphs + Charts = Increased Credibility

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We have discussed the use of photographs, logotypes, pictures, embedded videos and all manner of non-textual media in order to build messaging, branding and audience engagement. All of that works. If we add to that formula some simple, easy-to-understand charts (bar charts, pie charts, area charts and other charts where dramatic comparisons and statistically-supported facts can be brought to life with increasing memorability through the use of multiple colors, shading, design and other eye-mind stimuli) we have successfully addressed another issue -- the issue of credibility.

Credibility is a major motivator both emotionally and intellectually (i.e., wherein we rationalize -- after the fact -- why we've made a decision which was actually based upon intuition, guts, or a "hunch") in the purchasing decision.

While testimonials, endorsements and the halo effect of being affiliated with other credible persons or brands certain helps to establish some level of credibility, they are not generally as powerful or as memorable as a graphic presentation. These tools work best in combination.

Statistics presented in tabular or textual form seem to just bore most audiences...if you want to show numbers, comparisons, growth, and other wonderfully exciting and supportive information, put all of it into a chart. It is the difference between administering a soporific (Sominex) or a stimulant (No-Doz, or, er...Ex-Lax) into your presentation.

Graphs, while not as picturesque and malleable as charts, are very good when you are dealing with comparing rates of growth or showing trends to a more scientifically-minded, technically-oriented and cerebrotonic audience. If you use a graph, try to keep it fairly simple (ye olde x and y axes), and do not deal with more than two variables in one graph. This is unless, of course, you are being fancy, and are superimposing one graph atop another in order to really drive a point home. The optimal approach in these cases is to show a first graph, then the second, and then a third, which is a composite derived by superimposing the first over the second, or vice versa.

Since you've asked, I have contributed one of these superimposed graphs from the BRAINTENANCE Blog [please visit at http://Braintenance.blogspot.com]. It follows in all of its glory. It's so big, that you might even need to de-magnify the image.

Graphs and charts. How many times has someone approached you with an idea or a concept and said, "Picture this..."?

It is almost always easier to make a simple point to the greater percentage of people in most any audience by using graphs, charts and pictures. They are just easier for people to understand, process and remember. They ignite faster, greater impact.

Douglas E Castle