Less is More

My friend Tom called the other day to tell me he recently left his position as a national sales manager for a manufacturer of electronic components. He told me he was tired of being caught once again in the middle of top level reorganization and was going off on his own as a consultant.I first met Tom when he worked as a marketing director for a client of mine. He came in with big ideas and big company pedigree all of which quickly became his albatross and too much for a medium sized, small town, and close-knit corporate culture to handle.

It wasn’t Tom’s fault and probably not the company’s fault either; the two parted ways after a couple of years. Tom tried to simplify the sales and marketing message targeted to a diverse customer base. The company sold multiple products to original equipment manufactures and more broadly through industrial supply channels. Both markets presented unique marketing and selling challenges. The biggest challenge was dealing with a category that had become a commodity. Price and availability predominantly drove the sales process. Product quality, service and application support were secondary motivators.

Tom understood he needed to simplify the message and distinguish his company from competitors in order to survive. His ideas for branding and response to vertical market demands were based on solid marketing and advertising principles. He implemented “one look” and “one voice” standards throughout the organization.

 His advertising and marketing materials sported a central message and recognizable look and feel. Magazine ads, product literature, specification manuals, trade show booths even PowerPoint presentations all carried the branded message.  What he could not control was a corporate culture addicted to last month’s sales results and the willingness to abandon fresh and focused ideas for knee jerk approaches driven solely by the loudest customer squealing.

Tom’s story is certainly not unique and is often repeated time and time again across different business sectors. What is interesting is not how many companies like Tom’s exhibit bad marketing behavior and for that matter, how many companies swing to the other side of the pendulum in an effort to do good marketing by analyzing every event and transaction to demonstrate 200% gains with .02% of their customer base.

What is interesting is how much hasn’t changed over the years. Technology has certainly changed and empowered us to be better and informed buyers. Fortunatly the fact, that a clear and focused message will prevail every time hasn’t changed is a good thing.

While growing up in central Indiana in the 60’s and early 70’s I would see a local television commercial for Bob Catterson Buick where ol’ Bob himself would stand center stage with cigarette in hand and extol the benefits of buying a new Buick in a deep whisky and nicotine flavored bass voice… because Nobody but Nobody will sell you a new Buick for less money than Bob Catterson Buick. Nobody!  

You knew immediately upon hearing the distinctly gravely voice and seeing Bob standing on stage voicing the often repeated tag line that you were listening to a Bob Catterson commercial. The slickest part of the commercial was splitting the screen between ol’ Bob and a picture of a new Buick or his logo. It was simple, direct and memorable. By today’s standards it was pretty raw. But it worked, and it worked for years. Bob Catterson got it right; my friend Tom has it right. Good marketing and advertising approaches don’t need to be over done to be good just focused and to the point.