How to Hit Your Market's Sweet Spot with Your Ad Message

In tennis, hitting the sweet spot means hitting the ball with the most powerful part of the tennis racket. BAM! … a killer return. Hitting the sweet spot in marketing communications means hitting the market with a message so irresistible that you influence buying behavior. It's a guaranteed ace.

Influencing your market's buying behavior requires deep insight about your market's gut desires. You must delve beyond a superficial, "demographic" understanding of the people with whom you are trying to communicate to craft winning marketing communications. But, it's worth it. When you hit that sweet spot, it's like having Andre Agassi on your side of the net while your competitors flounder with plastic paddles on the other side of the court. They haven't got a prayer.

To really and truly hit your market's sweet spot, research should be your first serve. Once you have completed and analyzed all of your research results, then it's time to translate it into intelligence using a Creative Work Plan (CWP). The CWP outlines who the target audience is, what its problems are, what your objectives are, who your competition is, and what obstacles are in your way. It helps you do a SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Obstacles Tactics) analysis to determine what advertising message will make the most impact on your audience – hitting their sweet spot – and guides you through the creative process from a strategic marketing standpoint.

You can create your own unique CWP, but be sure to include the following sections:

* Main Objective
* Target Audience
* Problem/Obstacle
* Market Perspective
* Key Proposition
* Competition/Market Condition
* Supporting Evidence
* Customer Benefits


To illustrate how a CWP can help you develop a hard-hitting ad message, let's go step-by-step through the CWP process using real-life examples of how it can be used as a marketing communications planning tool.


Main Objective

In this first section of the CWP, write down exactly what you want to accomplish with the communications (the ad, the direct mail piece, the Web site, etc). Be as specific as possible, pinpointing what you want your customers or prospects to do or think as a result of this communications. A leading tool manufacturer for the fire service realized that its leadership position was being threatened by emerging competitors. The company described its main objective this way:

"Our objective is to use a major advertising campaign to reinforce our leadership position in the fire service industry, particularly to the younger Generation 'Xers' who are leaning towards buying from the newer companies."


Problem/Obstacle

The problem/obstacle section of a CWP should be a succinct statement detailing all of the potential obstacles that may prevent your market from accepting your message. These obstacles can be anything ranging from product flaws to hard-to-break-in sales cycles, from distribution hurdles to negative market perceptions and competitive threats. Don't be surprised to discover more than one obstacle. Here's how a local electronic components manufacturer outlined its obstacles:

"The market believes that we only offer a traditional product line and that we are an old, conservative company. The competition appears to be using this negative market perception against us by aggressively marketing itself as a fresh, hotshot company. In addition, because of interoperability problems, the component buyers will not mix and match components from different companies, which creates a recurring sales cycle that's difficult to penetrate."


Key Proposition

Your key proposition should be a positive, factual statement about your products and capabilities that will direct the communications. Think of it as a mission statement for the project. The key here is to summarize the attributes that will most likely appeal to your market in one or two clear sentences. No problem, right? As an example, take a look at how a major specialty chemicals manufacturer defined their key proposition for a corporate branding ad:

"We custom-tailor specialty chemicals for hundreds of different applications and industries to enhance the quality of products that people use every day. After over 150 years' service, our commitment to you and the people that buy from you is proven."


Supporting Evidence

In this section of the CWP, list all logical, believable reasons (or proof) that will make your market more likely to accept your key proposition. Don't hold back in this section – include all evidence, such as unique product features and benefits, efficient manufacturing processes, customer service awards, years' experience, market share, etc.. The key word here is "believable." Keep your market in mind when developing these key points. Ask yourself, "what will they really believe?". If you consistently deliver products late, is it believable to say that your company offers fast delivery?

Often formatted as bullet points, the supporting evidence typically outlines what the key copy points will be for the ad or whatever other form of communications you choose. A professional liability insurance firm outlines its evidence for a product ad this way:

* Earned and maintains A.M. Best's A++ VII (Superior) rating
* Over 100 years of combined professional liability underwriting experience
* Offers coverage to over 132 professional liability classes
* Testimonials from satisfied brokers
* Well-known for being highly responsive
* Pays the highest commissions to brokers
* Highly sophisticated underwriting for custom-tailored coverage to meet unique buyer needs"



Target Audience

Arguably the most important part of your CWP, the target audience section is key to understanding your market's sweet spot. Get as specific as you can. Even if you cannot complete a large research project, spend some time interviewing and observing your audience. What makes them tick? What motivates them? Of course, also include industries, professional titles, and any important demographics or psychographics as these are additional clues about your audience.

You may have to communicate with more than one audience: your horizontal market and one or more vertical, niche industries. Ideally, however, an ad should be directed to the most targeted audience possible so you can develop a specific message that really hits home.

This section also helps to determine what type of trade and business publications, radio stations, cable programming, etc., to choose when developing the media schedule. Below is another look at the rescue tools company and how it describes its target audience:

"Our target audience is primarily fire chiefs, township board members, and steering committee members for municipal, professional, and volunteer fire companies and emergency rescue personnel. They are readers of publications like Fire Chief, Fire Rescue, and Fire Engineering. We want to target the younger generation of rescue workers (ages 21-35), as they are currently buying-influencers and will be the future buyers of rescue tools. They are mostly male ("macho") and have a heartfelt belief in what they are doing. They are the guys risking it all down in the trenches to save the lives of others and they are proud of their work. During their free time, they may play cards, drink beer, play sports, and spend time with their families."


Market Perspective

Now, look back at all of your research and summarize the current market perspective. Delve deep and think about what you want the market perspective to be in the future. Include as much market insight as you can here. Some of this information should be reflected in your Key Proposition, only to be expanded on in this section. As an example, a local software consulting company wrote:

"According to our research results, we have powerful name recognition in the marketplace. We are well-known in the industry and have secured a loyal following of conservative-minded industrial customers. However, there is a growing perception among younger start-ups that we are a bit too old-fashioned and traditional, resting on laurels of past success without bringing anything new to the table. We want the market to view our company as a team of Web-savvy, software experts focused on the wants and needs of today's fast-paced high-tech companies."


Competition

Use this section to pinpoint your principal competitors. Sometimes it helps to draw a market pie (circle) and divvy up the "slices" according to market share. In this section, describe the competition's strengths and weaknesses in relation to your company/products. This helps you see the big picture by looking at the market situation from your customer's point of view as opposed to your own rose-colored glasses. One international fluids company scrutinized its competitors in this part of the CWP, and went on to make this point:

"Our products are formulated in much the same way as our competitors' products. However, our competitors do not provide an enhanced product, meaning a product that comes with responsive customer service and ongoing technical support."


Customer Benefits

Last, but certainly not least, bring in the benefits! Be sure to highlight unique benefits that are understandable and of interest to your customers and prospects. This is not the place to list your product features, datasheet-style. In this section, identify the break-point customer advantages that result from those great product features. For example, remote control (feature) means convenient, hands-free operation (benefit). A stainless steel frame translates into durability. And, uniform mixtures means a consistently high-quality product. This is what your market wants to know more about.