Marketing campaigns are always thought to be just simple dissemination of messages, and this is what nonchalant marketers would do. In reality, marketing campaigns are designed to entertain, engage, and inform. If you just put out the message without thinking of it thoroughly, you are actually not building affinity with your target customers.
Remember, you are supposed to build a harmonious relationship with them. If you want to succeed at this side of marketing, you need to come up with a campaign theme. The theme may sound like a simple, single line, but it is what will put everything together. This will keep the marketing message and campaign aesthetics single-minded and cohesive.
You may find it quite complicated, but if you invest time in learning the ins and outs of marketing campaigns, you will eventually find it easy. Here are some of the pointers that you may want to keep in mind:
Make the theme a standout
As you are building them, you better make it an interesting one. You have to make sure that it will be memorable, as it will allow you to make use of visual cues and lots of mnemonic devices. For example, the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” theme of Snickers. It is simple, yet a standout. It is easy to expand, meaning their creatives can come up with executional ideas for it. You will want to build a theme that will make you stand out of the competition. And that is what you can only do through proper insight.
Know what your customers are talking about
Since insight is being talked about, you can get an idea on what theme to execute by knowing what your customers are talking about. This should not be rocket science, knowing that there are a lot of tools and sources that make useful data available. If you want to just delve into the surface level, just pick a hashtag and read their conversations.
Assemble your creatives
Once you have picked a theme, you will need to assemble your creative team. This is not an issue if your creative team is already part of the process from the get-go. You will need a copywriter that will write the strap lines.
An art director will focus on the look and aesthetics of the campaign. Third-party suppliers, such as photographers and providers of e-commerce photo services will make the plans a reality. Just make sure that every person involved in the project is briefed properly.
Test the campaign first
If you have made multiple routes and themes, you have the option to test these themes to see which works best. You can do this through A/B testing (for digital campaigns), surveys, and even focus group discussions. Make necessary adjustments based on the insights from these avenues.
Going for theme-based marketing ensures that your message is more memorable, which is something that you will want to achieve as a marketer. Other essential benefits will follow, such as an increase in sales and engagement rates.
