All sizzle, no steak

It seemed like a good idea at the time - but now I'm having doubts.

Following on from the previous article about the need to sell the steak and the sizzle, this blog post is a warning not to get carried away with aspirational statements.

I was recently shopping round for new CRM software and was appalled at a couple of the major brands (yes, you heard me Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle Business on Demand). Their websites were almost entirely aspirational statements. I still have no idea what their products actually do, how they tie into the existing Microsoft Office suite, how I can use them or even how to buy them. There were You Tube videos showing people saying how much it transformed their lives and businesses while utterly failing to mention how it actually worked.

I settled on a third product that explicitly gave the features and the benefits including Microsoft Office plug-ins, third party APIs, detailed examples of feature, ease of use, etc.  This third party even listed pricing right up front for software as a service (SaaS) solutions. I signed up on the spot.

We also saw a similar debacle in Australia with Telstra (the nation’s largest telco provider) launch of it’s T-box (T-hub or whatever… I forget). This was a touch screen device that would become the base station on your fixed line at home and provide SMS messaging and Apps. They had a whole TV and print media campaign based around a preserved head of Thomas Edison saying that he wished he had invented such a transformative technology (or something like that). At no point did they say what it was or how to use it – we were told it was transformative and to bow down and worship its awesomeness. Let’s be polite and just say that it didn’t sell well.

In the same week Apple was running iPad ads on TV which showed people using the machines (demonstrating features and  benefits) in their everyday lives, and also with an aspirational element by showing educational benefits (i.e. be smarter) and people working away from their desks (i.e. this will bring you freedom). Apple are smart at marketing – you could do worse than being inspired by their marketing.

If you are trying to introduce a technology that no-one has seen before then you must show the features and benefits.

If you are selling into a well commoditised market then apart from price, features are pretty much taken care of, so focus on benefits and you can play with the aspirational or why your product is different.

When you are talking to anyone in marketing have a good discussion first to make sure that they understand that the campaign is there to make sales – and not just test out the latest theory such as niche marketing, social media, online content tie-ins etc.

And remember, advertising types get bored with doing the same thing over and over again, so make sure they understand you want simple but solid solutions, not the fanciest or most exciting trend.