THE MBP MODEL

PROMOTION(P)

MESSAGE

BRAND

(M)(B)

MESSAGE MANIFESTO

THE BIG PICTURE / THE STARR CONSPIRACY (M) FORMULA / THE STARR CONSPIRACY (M) OUTPUTS /THE STARR CONSPIRACY (M) METHOD

MESSAGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL MARKETING ELEMENTS.

// Great messages change the destinies of companies and people. Without message, brand and promotion are crude instruments. Message is the essence of marketing; it personifies your business strategy, defines your market position and declares your differentiation. The best messages are bold, compelling and polarizing. Most messages are ships that pass in the night.

WHY MESSAGES FAIL

They ...

are not driven by business strategyare created in a vacuumseek to appeal to 100% of the marketare so neutral as to be invisibleuse words people don’t understandfail to connect on an emotional level

You ...

never believed it to begin with

LAW OF MARKET SHARE

1ST

2ND

3RD

THE (M) FORMULA

MESSAGE

ANALYTICS

STRATEGY

VALIDATION

ENABLEMENT DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCH

STRATEGY

TARGET MARKET __ SOLUTION CATEGORY __ REQUIRED CAPABILITIES AND MARKET REQUIREMENTS __ PRICING STRATEGYVALUE PROPOSITION __ COMPETITION __ DIFFERENTIATION __ DISTRIBUTION

// If your strategy is not clearly defined, your message will confound employees, customers and prospects. If you ask us to create a message and you don’t have a strategy, we will start by forcing you to commit to a strategy.

Message must flow from strategy.

RESEARCH

// Don’t bet your company on a gut feeling. There is always time for research.

INFORMAL PRIMARY __ FORMAL PRIMARY __ INFORMAL SECONDARY __ FORMAL SECONDARY __ QUANTITATIVE __ QUALITATIVE __ VALIDATION

Confidence, deeply held beliefs, executive retreats and anecdotal validation are no substitutes for real research.

HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THE FOLLOWING TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES AT IMPROVINGEMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT?

OVER 75% FOR BOTH

REWARDS & RECOGNITION INITIATIVES

HEALTH & WELLNESS INITIATIVES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2.1%(6)

1.4%(4)

3.5%(10)

5.2%(15)

6.3%(18)

11.5%(33)

15.6%(45)

25.3%(73)

30.2%(87)

27.8%(80)

28.8%(83)

20.5%(59)

13.5%(39)

8.3%(24)

Not Effective Extremely Effective

The majority of respondents believe that rewards and recognition, and health and wellness programs areeffective in improving employee engagement.

ROI is more important in choosing engagement programsthan doing it because “it’s the right thing to do.” (It’s still a head argument before a heart argument.)

Employee engagement solutions can improve productivity, revenue and profit, and can show measureable ROI.

I’m not sure if employee engagement solutions can produce any benefits to the business or show ROI, but I believe that creating a culture of engagement is the right thing to do.

I don’t believe that employee engagement solutions can produce any benefits to the business. The whole thing is a waste of time and budget.

100908070605040302010

55.9%161 39.9%

1154.2%12

dEVELOPMENT

BRAND PROMISE __ UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION __ TARGET MARKET __ SOLUTION CATEGORY __ VALUE __ COMPETITION __ DIFFERENTIATION __ FEATURES AND BENEFITS __ KEY MESSAGES

Great messages are like jazz. First we must isolate the essential notes. Then we must experiment with the notes to create an utterly unique composition that defines us.

VALIDATION

SOCIAL MEDIA VALIDATION __ FORMAL OR INFORMAL FOCUS GROUPS __ ONLINE SURVEYS __ PHONE INTERVIEWS __ANALYST AND INFLUENCER BRIEFINGS

Never assume you got it right because it sounds good to you.Before you spend millions of dollars weaving your messagethrough multiple brand expressions and campaigns, takethe time to test your message with real people you would liketo sell to.

ENABLEMENT

MESSAGE LAUNCH STRATEGY __ MESSAGE DELIVERY TRAINING __ FORMAL MESSAGE STANDARDS __ MARKETING TOOLS __ SALES TOOLS __ TRAINING MATERIALS __ INTERNAL PROMOTION CAMPAIGNS

Most message initiatives fail because employees and otherstakeholders are not sold on the strategy and not given the tools they need to adopt and amplify the message.

ANALYTICS

CAMPAIGN SPLIT-CELL TESTING __ MESSAGE RECOGNITION __ MESSAGE RECALL __ FUNCTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS __ MESSAGE ATTRIBUTES __ BRAND ATTRIBUTES __ MESSAGE COMPREHENSION

Is your message working? There are multiple methods fortesting message comprehension, recall and performance — ranging from split-cell campaign testing to primary quantitative and qualitative research. If you’re not analyzing message performance, you have lost touch with your business strategy and market requirements.

THE (M) OUTPUTS

BRAND ARCHETYPE __ BRAND PROMISE __ UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION __ FEATURES AND BENEFITS __KEY MESSAGES __ (M) ENABLEMENT

Message management requires even more rigor and discipline than brand management. A visual brand can change frequently without losing the confidence of the buyer. But a message can only change in extreme situations. Stray from your message and you stray from your buyer.

BRAND ARCHETYPES

INNOCENT __ HERO __ LOVER __ CAREGIVER __ EXPLORER __ THE EVERYMAN __ REBEL __ CREATOR __ RULER __MAGICIAN __ SAGE __ JESTER

The notion behind brand archetypes is that brands are a basic human social concept and that the same patterns and ideas tend to repeat themselves over time, such that what we now consider “brands” are roughly equivalent to archetypal characters in literature, religion, folklore, mythology, etc.

// They’re a way for us to understand ourselves and affiliate with others, and by associating them with those common themes and characters, we can better understand how buyers connect with brands.

the starr conspiracy

AS

TAD

IA Logo D

evelopment

15

INNOCENT

MESSAGE FRAMEWORK

BrandPromise

UniqueValue

Proposition

Key Messages

Features &Benefits

BRANd PROMISEThe brand promise is a phrase that communicates the one thing that your brand intends to own in the target market’s mind and can be delivered 100% of the time. It must align with your archetype and should possess three qualities:

Be extremely important to the target audience Be able to be delivered by your organizationNot be addressed by your competitors

uvpThe unique value proposition is 50% science and 50% art. It must communicate certain immutable variables. But it must be delivered in a style and tone that brings your brand archetype to life.

TARGET MARKETSOLUTION CATEGORYVALUE PROPOSITIONCOMPETITIONDIFFERENTIATION

FEATURES AND BENEFITSYour product or service has 1 million features and associated benefits. Your audience can only remember two or three.Pick the right ones and hammer on them.

KEY MESSAGESNow it’s time to apply your message framework to countless formats and applications.

WEB COPY __ BOILERPLATE __ CAMPAIGNS __ COLLATERAL __ BUSINESS PAPERS __ PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES __ SOCIAL MEDIA __ ADVERTISING EVENTS __ EMPLOYER BRANDING

THE (M) METHODCONFIRM STRATEGYFORMAL DISCOVERYFORMAL SECONDARY RESEARCHMARKET RESEARCH STATEMENTFORMAL PRIMARY QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH(ONLINE SURVEY)FORMAL PRIMARY QUALITATIVE FOLLOW-UP(PHONE INTERVIEWS)

ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONSDEFINE BRAND ARCHETYPEDEFINE MESSAGE VARIABLESDRAFT MESSAGE FRAMEWORKVALIDATE MESSAGE FRAMEWORKTRAINLISTEN (MEASURE, MONITOR AND MANAGE)

WE CARE ABOUT THIS STUFF.

FOR YOUR TIME.THANK YOU