How to get people to act

One of Tony Blair’s (remember him?) spin doctors said, ‘if you tell me something once, don’t bother telling me at all.’ This is the theory that we use in communicating brands. Yes, you went through a process to create a brand name or discover your values and story, and then you created an identity, but for you to really get out there you need to communicate your brand and do it again and again.

From hearing to understanding to acting

There is a psychological method called the 8 points of communication. This is where, if you want someone to act, you have to communicate to them 8 times. Think about when you ask your kid to clean their bedroom… Action takes more than just telling someone something once. That’s the principal which advertising works on. Yes, you need a good bit of creative to capture attention, but if you don’t repeat that creative, it is a waste of time.

Think, when was the last time you saw an advert once and actually acted upon it? Take, for example, being tempted into seeing a new movie. You would normally see a poster on the Tube or on a billboard, then you might see a pop-up ad while surfing the net, or you might check out a trailer, read a review, get recommendation from a friend, and then you decide, ‘I’m going to see this film.’

The same process works when you want to get your brand or business out there. Repetition is key. We look at creating customer journeys and along that journey we want to introduce points of communication that are clever, interesting, that bring the values to life, and will bring about action.