in
this issue
What
Actually Motivates People
In the original spots the first and foremost reason that
prompted people to call was the "All Natural" claim of
the product. This is the dominant reason why this product is
unique and served as a strong reason why smokers ordered in the
first place. But the research showed that this was not even on
the list of what actually motivates people to quit smoking. This
helped us to understand that this feature of the product sells
it, but it is not a motivation for the smoker to quit.
Through the market research we discovered that most smokers
considered themselves addicts and felt they NEEDED HELP to get
off the drug (cigarettes). This research underlined the obvious,
however it UNDERLINED IT which gave us surety rather than
guesswork. This was a motivating message in the original
testimonial-driven spot (it was not emphasized enough). It was
part of a strong testimonial, but never featured as a theme in
the commercial.
Last
Week's Newsletter: Issue 33: Using Scientific Research in the
Art of Commercial Production
Quick
Links...
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Dear Reader,
The original commercials that featured a quit smoking
system started out with a fireball of activity, but
quickly petered out after the first few weeks of
testing. It showed us that the spots did have some
redeeming selling points in them (which communicated a
message to the audience and prompted them to call),
however somewhere in this process the spots weren't
reaching and motivating enough of our customers.
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A
Presumed NO MISS WAY
The strongest message conveyed in the original spot was
that the product worked and it was guaranteed-a presumed
NO MISS WAY to get people motivated to buy. But once we
got the research and looked at this approach, it was
clear the old spots asked the customer to buy on faith
and if this product didn't work for them they could get
their money back. This really did not address the
concerns or needs of the customer. Rather, if you go to
the heart of the matter the customer is saying-please
help me with my addiction and why is your product
different than what I have already tried? This was not
addressed directly in the old commercials.
In my experience, using real life testimonials is
always a great way to get the viewer to believe that the
attributes of the product work. Although the people were
believable in the original spots, the testimonials
weren't a strong enough method to get people to buy.
Many of the factors (uncovered in the research) that
showed why people smoke and what motivated them to quit
were embedded in the original spots. But the key word
here is EMBEDDED not EMPHASIZED or used as key themes in
the spots.
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This Freed Me as a Producer to Think About What
Will Reach/Touch the Customer
After the surveys were taken, a number of physical and
mental challenges of smokers became clear. This freed me
as a producer to think about what will reach/touch the
customer and therefore produce sales. I know the problem
this customer is trying to solve. I understand what
motivates this customer to solve the problem, and
finally we have a very clear vision as to the solution
of this problem.
The problem-addiction to nicotine and the physical
cravings (associated with smoking) are more powerful
than the will of the smoker to quit. This happens
despite the fact that nicotine only stays in your
bloodstream for a few days before it is washed out of
your body.
The daily/habitual routine and the eventual need to
smoke (which is confused with the love of smoking)
everyday makes quitting that much more difficult,
because it becomes part of the smoker's life-style. This
understanding of the smoker's problem or mindset gives
me a key to unlock their hotbuttons, or to reflect back
the problem and solution to their problem in our
commercial.
More
to Come Next Week..... »
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