This ad is intended for the middle-class consumer. It presents more information, more colors, more choices.
In the course of market research, many of our clients find they need to attract more affluent clients. This is often a great strategy, for the obvious reason that higher-end clients have more money to spend, but also because they are typically people with business experience so they’re easier to work with. They also have more influence in their communities, so if they like what you do, they’re more likely to make referrals.
So, how do you attract a more affluent clientele?
Most people’s first thought is to add things – buy more advertising, add more features to their product, add an expensive espresso machine in their FBO, et cetera.
This ad, intended for a higher-end audience, focuses on quality rather than quantity. There are fewer images, fewer colors, fewer fonts, and more space.
However, in our experience, the answer is usually just the opposite. We attract a more affluent clientele by getting rid of things.
We need to simplify.
If you pick up a supermarket tabloid and compare it to a copy of Town & Country or The Robb Report, the first thing you’ll notice is – less.
The more affluent magazines have fewer words on the page, but those words are more carefully chosen. There are fewer images, more blank space, and a feeling of simplicity and spaciousness.
You’ll notice the same thing when you walk into a Wal-Mart versus walking into a Whole Foods store; or a Dress for Less store versus a higher-end department store. The higher-end store has wider aisles, better lighting, and (this is the part that is the surprise to most people) fewer, rather than more choices. You’ll notice the same principles in interior design – higher end homes and offices have less (but more carefully chosen) furniture, fewer colors and shapes, and more space.
There is less “stuff,” but everything is carefully chosen and of excellent quality.
This happens because as people become more affluent, their most precious asset is time. People on their way up like more choices, more options, more functionality. People who have “made it” now want to spend their time in ways that are more enjoyable and productive (for them) than choosing from among a bunch of options.
You can provide that service for your affluent customers by ruthless editing and simplification of everything that is presented to the customer. The same principles apply to your marketing materials.
Edit ruthlessly.
Each piece (whether it’s a web page, a postcard, a printed ad, or an email) should powerfully convey one single, powerful, clear, simple idea.
Use only one image, (or a grouping of related images) and get rid of every word, image or element that doesn’t add to the power and clarity of your message. Use only one or two main colors, and one or two fonts. Leave lots of blank space on the page.
Spend the money on quality rather than quantity. Send a beautiful postcard or brochure rather than a more cheaply-printed catalog. Use shorter web pages that are more carefully designed and edited.
While it’s always easiest to accomplish more with your marketing by spending more money, it’s entirely possible to refocus your current marketing budget to attract a more affluent clientele simply by spending more time, care and creativity in the development or your marketing materials.
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Hi Paula,
Your point regarding presenting less is so important to my work. Ironically, my mission is to offer more, much more, to affluent clientele. My challenge is to convey that mission to them by saying less.
Safe Passage Aviation Resources (SPAR) endeavors to give clientele less to worry about during their travels on corporate aircraft by providing flight crews who possess more skills to support their trip. If the clients have flight crews who are capable of providing concierge, executive protection, medic and aircraft technician skills they can be assured that they have less to worry about as well as assurance of a more successful trip.
This is a great benefit to service users and service providers. Its very difficult, however, to convey that message concisely without losing them in the translation!
Mike
That’s precisely the challenge, Mike – and thanks for your comment.
It does seem counter intuitive – one quote that comes to mind is a quote from Mark Twain (some say Blaise Pascal ) “If I’d had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”
We offer more quality, service and features to affluent clients, but we must carefully edit everything we present to these clients so that the claims on their time so that marketing and customer service messages are simple, clean, and elegant.
They have “bigger fish to fry” and other things on their minds besides managing the specifics of concierge, protection, medic and tech services you offer, so I can see how your offering will be attractive.
It comes down to these clients trusting us to handle the details for them. Keeping that trust is the best advertising!
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Hello Paula,
First excellent post, I like how you put it. As you say however it is always difficult to convey your message by by using less, copy, photos, etc.
I find in my company where where we are usually dealing with very high net worth executive wishing to open or expand their companies in Thailand their time is always an extreme premium so the message has to be very to the point and concise. The better we get at giving or offering them exactly what they need in the shortest amount of time, the more clients we acquire.