The Biggest Attention Driver is Creative. And The Best Creative is Intimate.

The Oxford Dictionary defines intimacy as close familiarity or friendship; closeness.

Any brand wants (or should want) an intimate relationship with its users. They want to be liked –even loved.

It’s been proven that emotions and instinct are most often the driving forces behind consumer behavior and purchasing decisions, rather than rational thought.

 According to Harvard Business Review, emotionally connected customers have about twice the value to brands compared to customers who are simply satisfied with their purchase.

And here’s the real kicker. The same survey showed that emotional connection outweighs customer experience.

Brand intimacy is different from brand loyalty, which may be driven by loyalty programs, rewards, or sometimes a customer’s inability to opt for another brand. Brand intimacy is how intensely and positively a customer ‘feels’ about the brand.

Some of the brands that enjoy the most intimate connections are:

-Amazon

-Apple

-Netflix

-YouTube

-Harley Davidson

It’s that intimate connection that helps these brands outperform most others in the Fortune 500. And there are magnanimous budgets spent on maintaining and growing that intimate relationship. It also involves the way the brand interacts and performs as an entity. This could involve entire changes in infrastructure, company culture, even personnel.

Notice how the majority of the above listed brands are used daily –or at least on a very regular basis.

How can we create brand intimacy for our clients on a local radio budget? Can brand intimacy be created for services and products that aren’t used as frequently; auto dealers, plumbing and home repair services, etc?

We have no control over how our clients perform in the market. We aren’t business consultants. But we can influence the brand’s message in a way that’s well received and actionable.

Let’s explore.

Focus on emotional triggers.

Thanks to neuroscience, we now know that 90% of the decisions we make are based on emotion. The function of reason is for justifying the decisions we made.

Within the first second of seeing something, hearing something, meeting someone for the first time, impressions are made, and actions are born.

Intuition comes first. This by far outweighs rational thinking.

But intuition can also be a roadblock.

It’s called trust.

According to Nielsen’s 2015 Global Trust in Advertising Report, people don’t trust advertising -at least, not as much as they trust personal recommendations from people they know. Only 30% of those surveyed said they trusted user recommendations online.

How can we combat this in our messaging?

1.       Be authentic.

People want genuine relationships just as much as they want expert advice —maybe even more so! When we write authentic content, our listeners will feel that and will be more likely to resonate with our client’s brand.

 “Over the years, we’ve told the factory “No” when it comes to incentives on certain vehicles. Why? At Town & Country Ford, we’re not going to push something we know isn’t what’s right for you. We don’t work for them. We work for you. We know gas mileage is important and so are affordable monthly payments. So, we sat down with several lending institutions and were able to create our own incentives on the vehicles you want to buy on terms you can afford.

 Make connecting with the brand simple.

This comes down to the age-old contact data. Websites and social media pages over phone numbers. The easier that contact point is to recall, the more apt the target will be able to interact with the brand.

“You can’t remember. Does your Ford use synthetic or regular oil? Just ask Phil. He’s our service manager. Go to Town and Country Ford dot com. Click on service. The chat box will pop up. Phil is on the other end –not some automated bot. Phil has the answers to all your questions. Remember, all of us here at Town and Country Ford work for you. Reach out today. Or you’re welcome to stop by and speak with Phil. He’ll even provide the coffee.

Embrace transparency.

The quickest way to lose trust is to create the perception there’s something to hide. There’s a catch or a downside to everything. People know that. This is a challenge in automotive retail. When their incentives are prices, no money down, no payment for ninety days, etc, the disclaimers get longer and more incoherent. Let’s take the mumbling disclaimer, turn it on its head, and have fun with it to help brand Town and Country Ford.

(Open with sfx of car dealership showroom ambience)

SALESMAN: Hi, welcome to Fudpucker Motors, what can I help you with?

HUSBAND: We’re here for the no money down, 159 per month new car special

SALESMAN: Sure, (takes finger and wiggles them up and down lips like disclaimer)

WIFE: Uh, what?

SALESMAN: That means your credit score has to be 850 while Mercury is in retrograde.

HUSBAND: What’s my payment with my credit score and the fact I’m a Scorpio and she’s a Virgo?

SALESMAN: Hang on. Let me check with my finance guy.

(Sfx of phone receive picked up. Other end hear “Hello.”: Salesman does the finger and lips thing. Guy on the other end does the finger on the lips thing.

SALESMAN: Ok. Thanks. Finance says your payment will be 320 per month plus doc fees.

HUSBAND AND WIFE: (Gasp!)

ANNCR: This never happens at Town and Country Ford. We don’t put mumbling disclaimers on our commercials because people don’t talk that way. If they do, it’s because there’s some kind of ugly catch to the deal or something to hide. We don’t hide anything. At Town and Country Ford lease a new Ford F-150 with two thousand down and payments that start at $310 per month. In many cases, your trade in may offset that downpayment with approved credit. Yes, there are doc and tag fees. We can finance just about anybody. But terms and conditions do apply. So, instead of going here…..

(SFX: of car showroom ambience. Female voice comes on PA/intercom. Finger across lips thing LINE FOUR finger across lips thing LINE FOUR)

Come see us at Town and Country Ford. There’s nothing to hide because we work for YOU.

Will Town & Country Ford be used daily?

No.

But, by applying the above approach to branding, we can better create a feeling of trust, or at least an appreciation for their “anti-car commercial” marketing. It helps make Town and Country Ford likable. Hopefully, when a user encounters Town and Country, their experience will meet their reasonable expectations. A relationship can begin. And then they’re more apt to really like Town and Country Ford.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share them with me:

mike.mckenzie@summitmediacorp.com

Respectfully,

Mike -The Reel Architect