Why Santa's marketing works
better than yours
By Sean D'Souza
Santa Claus Inc. is well
and profitable, right through recessions, depressions
and just about any economic scenario. The reason
why his marketing strategies work better than
yours, is because he uses solid, dyed-in-the-wool
psychology. He knows he doesn't have to use new
fangled techniques, when his simple marketing
has stood the test of time.
If
you don't believe in Santa, you'd better change
your mind, because the fat man from the north
pole rocks on and you too can do the same if you
stick to the basics. Find out if your product
or service matches up by reading the article below.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way...
If you go to the heart of Santa's marketing,
the one word you come away with is 'consistency'.
Generation after generation have been exposed
to one brand, one message, and the same powerful
imagery. Just like Mercedes own the term 'luxury'
and Volvo owns the term 'safety', Santa owns the
word 'hope'. Every kid worth his Nintendo, hopes
he's got enough points on the goodness scale to
justify a mountain of gifts.
Yet, most companies get tired of their own brand.
They chop, change and pour thousands (if not millions)
of dollars into a bottomless pit of mindless change.
Take a look at McDonald's advertising, for instance.
McDonald's own the word family outing yet their
ads have been straying down the teenager path.
Does it make sense to consistently occupy one
niche? You bet it does! Families go out with their
kids to McDonalds. These kids sprout into budget-conscious
teenagers that hang out at McDonalds. They have
kids and grandkids and guess where they all end
up. At the big yellow 'M', that's where!
Santa doesn't waver. His customers are kids.
Like several marketers, he might have been sorely
tempted to enter the gift market. With bad advice,
he would have tried to get to teenagers, adults
and everyone. Can you see the magic still working?
Even the tiniest of niches is huge and niches
have a way of expanding by themselves.
At the end of the day, it's the consistency that
takes the jingle all the way to the bank. Too
many companies lose focus and give you seven reasons
why you should buy from them. Santa sticks to
one: Be a 'good' kid or you can keep hoping!
You Can Spot
Him in the Middle of a Crowded Sky
Do you know anyone
who comes to visit on a sleigh in the middle of
the night? With reindeer and gifts? The reason
why Santa stands out so vividly in our memories
is because he's different. The postman does the
same thing, but leaves without the flourish.
It's really important to work out how your marketing
message differs. Santa's core marketing term is
not built solely on consistent branding but also
on a very hard-nosed differentiation. Too much
communication out there fits in with what's safe.
Customers have just one slot in their mind. You
have to enter that slot at such an obtuse angle
that they remember you for life.
Rose Richards runs Office Doctor. The term that
set her apart from all the rest of the administration
crowd is the term, Small business pain relief.
Can you imagine your reaction when you hear something
like that? The human mind is intensely curious
and a marketing statement like that is pure bait.
You want to know what pain relief she brings and
how she goes about it-specially if you're the
one in pain. That's only half the story. The construction
of the message elevates her from simple number
crunching to brain surgery and makes her unique.
If you want differentiation you need look no
further than the guiding light of Santa's sleigh--
Rudolph, with his shiny nose. Can you even remember
the names of the rest of the eight reindeer?
One very important point, however, is that the
marketing message isn't just different, but also
customer-oriented. Rose takes the clutter out
of administration and Rudolph provides a beacon
for clearer navigation.
If you don't have a benefit for the customer,
just being different is going to get you nowhere.
Give and You Shall Receive
How many of you are out there networking like
crazy? Trying desperately to fill in your steadily
depleting bank reserves? You want, want, want!
Take a look at Santa's style.
He's into giving first. If you probe deep into
your mind, you'll find the people you like best
are those who have given you their time, their
money or their knowledge. You trust them, and
it's very hard to say no when they ask you for
a favour in return.
The deepest core of human emotions is fear. Every
single product or service, without exception,
is sold on the basis of turgid fear. The only
known antidote to fear is TRUST. When trusts struts
upwards, fear banishes itself to penguin land.
The more you pile up the trust, the more you can
do business.
Wouldn't Santa be able to sell you just about
anything? Would he be able to cross-sell and up-sell
product? Santa could knock on your door next summer
and you'd be more than happy to have him join
your barbecue.
It's up to you to build up the trust one Lego
block at a time. Identify your clients and see
what you can give them. It could be information,
time or even a chocolate covered scrumptious cookie.
It's the old 'What's in it for me?' theory. If
you can't find something calorie-ridden for their
minds or bodies, they won't want to see you.
Play Santa. It works.
He Knows if You've Been Bad or Good...
Heck Santa knows his customers. He even knows
when you are sleeping, or awake.
Then, there's you. Look at your biggest customer.
What's her name? When is her birthday? Does she
like Indian curries or sushi? In curries can she
handle hot or medium? What does she think about
you? What doesn't she like?
You're guessing for sure. You can't be dead certain
because you've been so busy looking at dollar
signs that you've missed the plot completely.
The reason why Santa's marketing works is because
he intimately knows your individual needs. If
you want a drum kit, you get one. If you want
a Barbie, you don't ending up sulking with a xylophone.
Santa knows because he's interested in giving.
To give, you have to know exactly what the receiver
wants or your gift is not worth the packaging
it's wrapped in.
Some people worry about invading personal privacy.
Hogwash! When was the last time you got upset
because a supplier turned up with a big chocolate
cake (your favourite) for your birthday? or with
rare stamps for your son (because he loves collecting
stamps)? Santa's invades our privacy gently and
uses it to give, not to take. That's why we don't
mind it. The tax department on the other hand,
uses our information to take and therein lies
the principal difference.
Once a Customer, Always a Customer
Santa Doesn't Lose Customers. Period.
One of the primary reasons why he's able to achieve
this amazing feat is because he thinks of his
customer's customer. His customer is the kid,
who in a few years gets a little wiser about Santa
and his customer's customer is the parent who
has the amazing power to get their children to
be nice not naughty, if only for a short while.
Since the concept works in their favour, they
do all the advertising. Without TV, radio or the
internet, Santa's message gets a grip on millions
of kids around the planet. These kids grow up
and the marvel of Santa is handed down through
the generations.
While It's OK For Santa, How Would This Work
In The Real World? Say, If You Sold Jeans.
Jeans West, a jean retailer, has several of the
answers. I needed one pair, but Stephanie (the
sales girl) sold me two-bit by hassling me, but
by gently reminding me I would get $20 off the
second pair. Then, with my purchase, she gave
me a gift voucher of $10, for my use or to pass
on. They, also signed me up for a loyalty program
that offered to give me a 10% discount if I purchased
over $250 worth of product in the next 6 months.
This Is Effectively What Jeans West Did to Make
Me a Permanent Customer.
Step 1: The sales person asked
the right questions to find out my need.
Step 2: She up-sold the product
giving me good value for money.
Step 3: A gift voucher with
a validity date, ensured an additional purchase.
Or even better, the chance for me to pass it on
to another person thus 'creating a customer' for
Jeans West.
Step 4: Tying my fickle consumer
head into a loyalty scheme. They wanted me to
stay with them forever.
Santa's steps may vary, but in essence he ties
you into a solid loyalty program that is near
impossible to get off. It's 'customer get customer',
rather than 'advertising get customer.' It's cheaper
and it works!
In conclusion here are the main points why Santa's
customers keeps coming back. These concepts may
sound old, even trite, but have been proven time
after time to work well. Test them against your
company and brand to see where you can learn from
the man from the North Pole.
1) Solid branding:
We're not talking lease here. Consistency is the
key. This applies everywhere from networking meetings,
advertising to any sort of communication that
goes out. Keep hammering home the same unique
message and put it up front. The weather changes
all the time which is why we can't trust it.
If you must change, it's because your old message
isn't doing a complete job. I changed our first
baseline from 'Recession proof business principles'
to 'Reactivating dormant business clients.' The
proposition was the same but the second line got
10 times the response.
2) Differentiation:
Santa knows he can be a courier with a difference.
You, too, can create your own legend. Nike used
Just Do It. Coke threw in the concept, Rum and
Coke, indelibly burning the word classic into
our consciousness. Sameness is in your mind. No
matter how many brands exist on the market, your
product has a fingerprint of its own. You just
have to dig deep to find out.
3) Build trust by giving first.
Life is all about sowing, then reaping-but sowing
comes first. If you don't give first, you will
only get limited results. The more you stop thinking
of yourself and focus on what the customer needs
instead, the more you are trusted. Business is
all about trust. If you don't have it, you're
yesterday's soup.
4) Know your customer...
Like you know the hair on your head. Data collection
and its optimum usage will get you right into
their minds and keep you permanently rooted in.
Every time they see you, they should think you
are Santa coming to town.
5) Reactivate dormant clients
They are all volcanoes. Sitting there with the
power to erupt mightily. Figure out who they are
and how you can work in tandem with them. Forget
your product or service. That's a given-- It has
to be good. Find out the 'everything else' factor
and you will keep them for life.
Like Santa does...
Have you seen a customer back away at the
very last minute? Do you know why that happens?
Psychological Tactics help you overcome that frustration
by looking inside the brain of your customer Go
to www.psychotactics.com
today! You won't be disappointed.
