Your corporate message is DYING!
Don’t panic. It’s part of the natural life cycle.
All corporate messages die eventually. We like to think they go to a celestial conference room to be with all the other corporate messages.
It’s nothing to worry about, but it’s something you need to understand: the message life cycle. Just like a product life cycle, a message life cycle follows a predictable path – beginning with development, and going through growth, maturity and ultimately decline. The good news is, following decline, there is usually a period of rebirth where the message is reincarnated in a new form.
Each corporate message life cycle is unique, and can be long or short, depending on the message and the market. Likewise, the return on investment you realize from your message follows a predictable path.
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For example, during the development phase, you typically spend much more capital while realizing little or no ROI. But as your message is introduced and winds its way through its life cycle, your costs go down and your ROI goes up. (For a better look at a message life cycle, you can download a Free Tool Download.)
To better illustrate a message life cycle, let’s look at a classic example - Tide detergent. Since Tide’s launch 1943 sixty-five years ago it has been the dominant brand in the category. Almost no brands that had dominant marketshare in 1943 are still in business, much less holding on to category dominance.
In 1943, when it was launched by Procter and Gamble, Tide’s message was centered around the concept of a “Washday Miracle.” It spoke to women about why this revolutionary new product would help them get clothes cleaner for their husbands and children. When that message started to decline with women, in the 60’s, Tide revamped its message to speak to women about what Tide would do for THEM – it will make laundry easier on you. When that message reached the end of its message cycle, in the 80’s, Tide turned to a different message – you’ll love the fresh smell of laundry washed in Tide.
To this day, Tide is the cornerstone of Procter & Gamble – a company renowned for its branding and marketing success. By closely watching their message life cycles, and re-tooling the message to meets the current consumer climate, P & G has given us the perfect example of how to keep your ROI consistently high.
Think about it. Where are you in your message life cycle? Are you introducing a new message? Are you just reaching the height of its effectiveness? Or is it time to adapt your brand message to today’s market environment?
If you are always prepared for the next step in the cycle, your message (in some form) is destined to live on and on.
Contact THE HEAVYWEIGHTS today, and find out how we analyze DRGs to increase ROI for our health care clients.
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