"Rapid Response Advertising" by Geoff Ayling has been called "the first genuine advance in the advertising industry since positioning." The book’s main focus is a concept called a ‘meme’ (rhymes with team).
A meme is defined as an idea that has been so simplified that it penetrates your brain with lightning speed. You instantly comprehend the deeper meaning behind the concept.
Confused? Don’t feel bad.
The irony is that a meme, which is all about simplicity, is not a simple concept to grasp right away. In fact, Ayling spends a good portion of his book explaining, in different ways, what a meme is and is not.
But once you get it, it’s likely to revolutionize your thinking about advertising and marketing.
Here is Ayling’s four-step plan for developing a powerful meme for your company that will separate you from your competition – even if you think you’re not unique.
STEP 1: Identify The Characteristics Your Target Market Values Most In A
Product Like Yours
Take the example of cosmetics used by Ayling. Suppose you
discover, through market research, that the four most important
attributes of a cosmetics brand to your target market are:
a) Price point
b) Covering skin blemishes
c) Natural skin tonings
d) Promoting healthy skin
STEP 2: Study Your Competitors
Do any of them already own any or all of these niches in the
minds of consumers? Choose a niche that you can make your
brand synonymous with. In this example, Ayling chooses ‘healthy
skin.’
STEP 3: Express Your Niche As A Meme
Create a short statement that instantly and memorably conveys
‘healthy skin.’ In this case, Ayling uses the words "Skin Fitness."
STEP 4: Expose Your Meme To The Marketplace
Use the meme you’ve created in all your advertising, on your
packaging – everywhere. And ultimately, that’s exactly what Ella
Baché Cosmetics did. Now, Ayling says, you’ll see: Ella Baché -
Skin Fitness along with their logo everywhere the brand is sold.
Says Ayling, "Anybody seeing that four-word identity meme, even
just glancing at it casually, would be in no doubt as to what the
brand is all about."
And that’s what creating memes is all about – conveying instantly your competitive edge.
If you’d like to find out more about memes, get Geoff Ayling’s book called "Rapid Response Advertising" by going here:
http://www.amazon.com
