Less is More: Refining Your Brand's Print Materials. 2005 Qtr 4
So often in growing a brand, new objectives lead to new marketing needs, which lead to the development of new marketing print materials. For example:
- The need to attract new customers manifests itself into a new direct mail plan.
- The need to showcase a certain line of products creates the need for a new piece of literature.
- The need to promote internationally demands a multi–lingual marketing brochure.
- The need to address competitive pressures in a particular market calls for a quick regionally targeted sales sheet.
Over time, too, these pieces may also be unintentionally developed to either coordinate or contrast existing print materials. After awhile, without careful consideration, one can end up with a mish mash of “stuff.” The objectives of these marketing materials may even overlap, causing the marketing or brand manager to wake up one day and ask of a particular piece of literature, “Now what was this for?”
In Branding as in life, somehow it’s easier to complicate things and more of a challenge to keep things simple. But it really is a good idea to keep focused. Which is why it’s a good practice to re–examine a brand’s print materials periodically and reconsider their usefulness and extended shelf life.
Here are some helpful questions to ask when examining a brand’s print marketing materials:
- What is the purpose of each piece? Who is/are the intended audience(s)?
- How does the piece fit in with current brand objectives?
- Is there information in the piece that is outdated? Or, overstated?
- Can this piece be combined with another for greater efficiency?
- Is the piece trying to do too much?
- Does the piece reflect the brand “voice”?
- Is the copy consistent with current key messaging?
- In general: what’s working and what’s not?
- What current quantities exist? Or is a piece up for reprint?
After careful review, one might discover that there simply isn’t any need for some materials anymore. And perhaps there’s an obvious need to update or consolidate key items.
The ultimate goal is to become a “lean, mean marketing machine,” with an arsenal of hard–working, well–produced print materials that work together as a system.
By taking some time each year to evaluate how to refine a brand’s print materials, one also has the opportunity to think outside the box and put dollars to work in new ways to promote the brand.
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