Be the RED Balloon (or getting your message noticed)

In many ways, marketing is all about getting noticed. Our business landscape is littered by businesses, products and services that may have been category leaders, or innovative — but no one noticed them, and they disappeared. The Red Balloon is just a metaphor for that — the point at which you caught their attention. But to get to that point, you have to be patient, study the market and understand the buyer. Being best or first does not ensure success — knowledge and how you apply is much more important.

Understand this: Words are a dime a dozen. Everyone knows that in the heat of an argument, we will all say anything to support our cause. We will quote the Bible, refer to unverifiable statistics. Who can be persuaded by bags of air like that? Action and demonstration are much more powerful and meaningful. They are there, before our eyes, for us to see — “ Yes, now the statue’s nose does look just right.” There are no offensive words, no possibility of misinterpretation. No one can argue with a demonstrated proof. As Baltasar Gracián remarks, “The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.”

Greene, Robert (2000–09–01). The 48 Laws of Power

By profession, I consider myself a “marketeer”. One of the things that gets me “going” is when someone says something like “oh yea, marketing is just a bunch of lies, I never really listen to any of it, and when I do, I just consider it fluff”. It may not be those exact words, but you get the picture. Their idea of “marketing” is that we are the people that make our companies, products and services “look good”, so the unsuspecting buyer can be “flim-flammed” into buying something they don’t really need. That’s not my view of marketing — or my profession.

To me, you never benefit when a customer buys something they don’t need. In fact, if we are spending our time marketing to the wrong buyer, we are wasting valuable resources (time, money, people). Personally, I believe there are three activities crucial for us as marketers to understand and therefore give our companies, products and services a competitive edge. Done right — and you are viewed as a savvy business person, done wrong or not at all, and you are shooting arrows in the dark.

1. Know your customer

This one seems like Marketing/Business 101 — the problem being, most people believe that “everyone” or every company is their potential customer. In the book Blue Ocean Strategy written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, they explain how most companies operate within a highly competitive marketspace (Red Oceans) and the only means of long term success is finding “uncontested” marketspace (Blue Oceans). I believe you can only find those blue oceans by focusing on the buyer to determine where a twist or new feature/function can be added, allowing you to move outside the churn-n-burn competitive market and into one where you are in the leader.

It takes time and creativity to move outside the norm and possibly create a new category, one with few competitors. You can’t do that without knowing the customer better than they know themselves, having a full grasp on their wants, needs and desires.

Here’s a perfect example of creating a space, a product, a “brand” which captures the essence of the “who” a customer really is … the company, Death Wish Coffee, is driving their message home, with their colors, with their logo, with the words they choose — almost everything on their site is about the customer. Sure it represents the product also, but that is secondary to the customer who wants a deep, dark, coffee — that promises to taste great, while giving them twice the caffeine.

2. Know your customer’s purchasing journey

As I mentioned in my article “the VALUE of anything”, anything of value begins with an interest, escalates to a want, and culminates in a decision. Now, we want that decision to be our product or service — but it is almost impossible for that to happen without understanding the purchasing journey. Going back to the beginning, where does “interest” come from? Why would someone ever begin thinking about products or services in your specific category?

Once you determine where they start, then it’s all about understanding the decisions along the way — from general category to specific product or service. These can be simple (I want it, I want that one, and I have the money to buy it) to very complicated (I believe it can help, I want more info, I want to demo it, I need to secure budget for it, I have to right a business case for it, I have to include lots of people in the decision process, etc.). There is no “one size fits all” journey for all products — and it’s a time consuming, trial-and-error process to determine the “general” purchasing journey someone will take. But it is worth it — and if done right, you might be able to determine short cuts — which will make both the customer and sales person happy.

But remember, short cuts and speed are relative to the experience. Not all products or services are “fast food”, some are meant to be savored, to be relished for their experience. Others, we just want it done and over with, until the next time we “need” it. Everything has it’s pace — understand it and you will master the journey, and be the perfect guide.

3. Know the purchasing hot button

Once we’ve identified WHO and the purchasing journey they will take. We need to determine at what points major decisions will be made. Think of the decisions to purchase a car — what are those critical decisions within that process that determine the sale? A car buyer has to know what kind of car they want, then the specific model(s) they like, then they have to research them, are they buying used or new, how will they purchase (lay down cash, lease, finance), how doe they determine where to purchase? There are lots of decisions along the way, that will make or break “getting the sale”. And as a marketing person — it makes a difference if I am Ford, the dealership, the finance company, etc. There are lots of moving parts in the decision to “buy a car” and lots of people involved in the process. If you can help them with each major decision, and focus on those you can influence, you will be in a much better position to do two things: (1) stop wasting time and money (expense/bottom line) and (2) focus your efforts and support to close sales (revenue/top line).

Here’s an example of great marketing communications (and it happens to be around the car buying purchasing journey) from Santander USA — check out this Five Part blog series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) to see what I mean. At the end of the day, Santander wants to “finance” your car, but they realize, if you’re not moving along the process, or are trying to buy the wrong car, or can’t afford the car — there won’t be the opportunity to finance it.

Why the Red Balloon?

So, now we come full circle. So why the Red Balloon? What does that mean? If you know your customer, know their purchasing decisions and know their hot buttons, you can use your “marketing” skills to stand out. You will know them better than they know themselves. You will understand their goals, what they are adding or removing by purchasing your product or service. You can help them along the way, and taking the “risk” out of purchasing. Stand out from the crowd — get noticed — and get the sale.

About the Author

I’ve learned a few things along the way, but also realize, there is so much more to learn. I’m just a guy who has spent years within the tech marketing world. I’ve sold, I’ve been a product guy, I’ve been a strategist, I’ve researched, and I’ve been a product marketing guy.