The way some companies execute it, it absolutely is. Sometimes it’s just a big ego thing for a CEO, looking for a bit of Hollywood visibility during a top secret job search for something bigger and better. And of course, rarely is it measured, as if anyone knows what they are measuring anyway. Results? Forget about it. It’s bad enough that we’re spending too much money already on product advertising and we’re getting nothing out of it.
So in case you are about to commit “corporate advertising”, here are a few thoughts.
1. There are always noble objectives. Examples:
a. Raise the share price: We really are more valuable than you think!
b. No one knows we exist.
c. We exist but no one knows why.
d. We’ve just been eaten by a bigger company and it’s a “win-win”.
e. We’ve just eaten a smaller company and it’s a “win-in”.
f. We believe in the same stuff our customers do.
g. We have a new name. It’s confusing so let us try and explain it to you.
h. The critics are wrong; we really are useful and responsible.
i. We’re green now.
j. Let’s associate ourselves with a big positive event (a rocket takes off) and bask in the halo for a while.
k. Yup, we’ve really got a strategy!
l. The jury is being selected as we speak. Let’s implant some positive lawsuit-busting messages into the jury’s unfocused heads.
m. This particular bit of government legislation is really stupid. It’s going to hurt all of you more than it will hurt us.
n. We took a big financial hit by recalling (name deadly product) for fixing (name defective product) but it’s really for your own good.
o. Given the fact that corporate advertising objectives are sort of ethereal anyway, we’ll find something to talk about and just get our logo out there with the least investment fewest gross rating points possible.
2. Corporate advertising is a bit of a specialty, but the specialist agencies aren’t that creative, and the creative agencies go a bit wild and off-strategy (anyway, they don’t like pre-testing anything so their word on what is effective is as good as anyone’s).
3. Probably the audience that gets the most out of a company’s commitment to telling its story is the employee population. Employees instinctively want to be proud of the companies they work for. Some advertising and promotion to the outside world does wonders for instilling some pride. And also family, friends, and other associates, get a look at the company you work hard for. Share the upcoming campaign with everyone in the company before you launch anything.
4. Next, the sales guys occasionally like the ads to stuff into customer proposal packets.
5. If you are a global company, the countries, particularly the smaller ones, will gobble up and translate the (free) ads and use the artwork for anything they feel like. You’ll never find out.
6. The process of figuring out a corporate advertising strategy and campaign can be an incredible internal forcing mechanism for a company to get down to brass tacks and figure out what it really stands for, its values, its personality, and what the facts are. Even if one ad never makes it out the door, this process will have catalyzed a very important collective soul-search about purpose, values and ethics, strategy, and the truth.
7. Unfortunately, it’s really true that audiences like fuzzy animals, children and some, not all, images of “real” people. Just be careful that this stuff doesn’t just blend into the swarm of ads that have been created by creative geniuses who would rather be doing something else.
8. Trotting out a CEO to put a face on the company can be OK, but most of them aren’t particularly photogenic and usually hate the whole process.
9. Really try to measure this stuff against some specific messages. Use recall testing, attitude measurement, etc. Numbers are unassailable in the Board Room.
10. Try to measure “Share of Heart” as well as “Share of Mind”, so keep in mind who your competition is in the race for the much sought-after goodwill attitudes of your intended audiences.
11. Try to put as much media weight or focused media buying into corporate advertising as possible. Corporate advertising campaigns are notoriously and noticeably weak in these areas, and tepid exposure can telegraph a message of insincerity or lack of commitment.
12. The other reason for seriously investing time and money in media is that corporate messages are by definition more difficult to grasp or recall than hard hitting product messages. There is a lot of “so what?” in audience reaction to corporate messages and so you have to make up for weaker recall by pounding audiences harder and more frequently with what you have.
13. If you are searching for a resource for really good corporate advertising creative, take a look at the people who do PSA’s (Public Service Announcements). Agencies do them for free to promote just causes, and they tend to put their best creative work into them, if only because they serve as nice samples to wave in front of new business opportunities.
So there you have it. I’m personally a fan of well-crafted corporate advertising and have studied it. The lessons I’ve learned from everyone’s mistakes and successes (including mine) have enabled me to deliver some very nice stuff that test well and delivers on communications objectives – building reputations, enhancing image, and helping pave the way for future growth of the business.
Perhaps in my next post I’ll reflect on the great and the miserable corporate tag lines that have populated, or possibly more accurately littered, the corporate advertising landscape for generations.
Until then, good luck!
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