Hundreds of times every day, people are silently asking themselves 'so what?' as they are exposed to an onslaught of marketing messages. Here's how you can employ the same phrase to get your prospects to stop and pay attention.

Consumers think differently than marketers

When we're in consumer mode, as opposed to marketer mode, there's a sarcastic voice in the back of our head that filters everything we hear and see. It's a defense mechanism against the avalanche of information we face. That voice also helps us be better marketers as we deliberate our strategies and messaging. We need to deploy our built-in bullshit detectors when we're in marketing mode, because customers do it automatically when someone is trying to sell them something.

1962 ad by Freeman & Gossage for American Petrofina

Some things haven't changed

In the 1960's Howard Gossage said “The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad.” This observation is true whether we're talking about an ad, website copy, blog posts, email marketing, or Twitter. The current level of obsession over which medium is the best way to get out the message is remarkable. Yet, the truth is that what's still most important is the message.

Where will ‘so what?’ lead you?

Hopefully it will lead you to identify the real problem you solve for your customers, and what moves them to take action. Here are a couple of things to think about as you peel away layers of product feature babble and marketing jargon with the question 'so what?'

Are you identifying and solving a major pain point for your prospects? If not, then so what?

Are you showing prospects how to realize their dreams? If not, then so what?

Are you allaying the fears that keep prospects from doing business with you? If not, then so what?

Are you showing prospects how to have more freedom in their lives? If not, then so what?

Are you showing prospects how to get more love, more prestige, more money, or more fame? If not...

Get outside yourself

When working on your marketing messages, ask yourself 'so what' over and over, to get to what other people really care about. It'll help you avoid drinking too much of the cool-aid when it comes to your own product or service. Step back for a minute and let that skeptical voice have the floor. It will give you a glimpse of how your customers feel when they hear your pitch, and help you make a genuine connection with them.

Imagine it’s a beautiful Summer night, there’s a gentle breeze and your favorite song is playing into your earbuds as you stroll. Blissful feelings flood your consciousness and suddenly you’re connected with your deepest yearnings. The music and the words put you into an expansive, optimistic mood as if a switch has been thrown in your brain. Anyone who is a communicator must feel a pang of jealousy at the ability of rock music to mesmerize us in this way.

We all have a little rock and roll inside us

By that I mean everyone has secret longings in their heart. And the right music, the right words or the right imagery can peel back the layers of defense that we put up to hide them from the world. Rock music taps into a place in our brains where we feel optimistic, hopeful, rebellious, and where some of our fondest memories reside. Have you ever wondered ‘how can I capture some of that magic in my marketing messages’? Is there a place where your brand and these powerful feelings can overlap, just a little bit?

Major Advertisers try to do this all the time

We've all seen commercials that co-opt our favorite old songs. Everything from tampons to automobiles. But often it backfires. It makes us indignant at the advertiser for attempting to hijack our feelings, and makes us feel disillusioned with the music itself. For most marketers, it's not a consideration—we're not going to be able to afford the royalty payments on our favorite Led Zeppelin track. So what's another, more intrinsic way to put some rock 'n' roll into our messages?

Speak to the dreams in your customer’s hearts

The key is in the problems you solve for customers: Are they feeling disrespected, do they yearn for more love and appreciation? Do they want to feel cool, or smart, or feel some pride in their everyday lives—like a mom who expresses her love by serving healthier food, or the guy who feels sexy and powerful because his car is sweeter than the other rides in the health club parking lot. If your product isn't tapping into these deeper desires on some level,  you're missing an opportunity to get on the radar of your ideal customers.

Now, maybe you're really skeptical...

‘Get real’, you're thinking. What if I sell something utilitarian, like weed killer—how the hell does that have any connection to some deeper meaning? Let’s suppose the weed killer had a product benefit of killing the weeds in your lawn without harming the environment. You could appeal to the idealist in your customers by showing how environmentalism and a beautiful lawn can co-exist.

The rock 'n' roll in me wants to know how I can have the greenest lawn on the block and at the same time feel virtuous by not dumping chemicals into the environment. My logical side might later compel me to get specific product details to back it up, but by then, I’ll be pre-disposed to listen to the scientific explanation. Because the rock 'n' roll in me feels I’m joining a movement of eco-responsibility when I consider this product.

What if your product can’t make a unique promise that appeals to the rock ‘n’ roll in your customers?

If your product or service doesn’t have this kind of special sauce, your problem isn’t in your marketing. It’s in your product. A good question to ask yourself when developing your offerings is 'Have we conceived something unique enough, or built some feature into it, that will allow us to speak to the dreams of our customers?' And if you have that special difference, have you extended it, nurtured it, and protected it from competitors?

If you think about it, there are hidden reasons for almost any purchase people make. Look to those hidden reasons for the keys to your marketing messages.

The marketing equivalent of a gold record

Usually, marketing makes our defenses go up because it's unable to touch that place where our dreams live. As competitive as most marketplaces are today, we still have fertile opportunities. How many of your direct competitors position their products in a way that taps into the rock ‘n’ roll inside of us? Do a quick survey, and you’ll find that very few companies do a good job of articulating value to customers, let alone capturing imaginations and building tribes of like-minded followers. The majority of the companies you compete against have messages that are the equivalent of old, forgotten recordings in the discount bin. If you can find the rock-n-roll in your brand and tap into the inner longings in your prospects, you could have the next big hit.

Remember George Costanza, the Seinfeld character? He does the wrong thing in virtually every situation, which makes him an endless source of reverse wisdom. In one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, George has a revelation, deciding to do the exact opposite of what his every instinct tells him from that point forward . Immediately, his luck changes and things start to go swimmingly well. Women are attracted to him, he lands his dream job with the NY Yankees, and suddenly, life is great.

This is what I call the Costanza Effect. What worked for George can work wonders for you in your marketing program. To take advantage of the Costanza Effect, do the exact opposite of what most companies do in the following situations.

What most companies do with their web sites:

They try to convey every single, solitary wonderful thing about the company, right there on the home page. We get 42 different ways to find out more, read the press clippings, hear analyst quotes, sign up for something, purchase the product, read about the latest news, and so on—before we even know why the hell we should care! This barrage of self-importance causes most people to get confused and do nothing.

How to apply the Costanza Effect: Make your site all about one simple thing you do to help people, or one simple action you want them to take. Then organize your entire site around that thing. What a breath of fresh air that would be. When I can understand what you can do for me, or what you're asking for, I'm much more willing to consider it. At the very least, I won't abandon your site in a state of confusion.

What most companies do when they promote themselves:

They incessantly talk about themselves. 'We've got the fastest processor. We've got the best program. We cut capital costs by 25%. We've got the biggest selection. We have the lowest rates'. Blah, blah, blah. So the real message is, I'm supposed to translate your list of bullet points into something I care about, right?

How to apply the Costanza Effect: Talk about your customers instead of yourself. 'You can get your work done faster. You can be your best. You can have extra profit. You have more choices. You can save money. You'll look like a hero, you'll get a promotion, you'll spend more time with your family, you'll be sexier'. Now you're talking about what I care about most as a customer: me, me, me. That's the reason I bothered paying any attention in the first place.

What most companies do with their market research:

They do one of two things depending on the size of the organization. Big companies spend huge sums of money conducting far-ranging and in-depth market research, including quantitative, qualitative, focus groups, one-on-ones, account planning, and whatever other new technique is being touted. Then, feeling satisfied, they skim over the executive summary and place it on a shelf in three-ring binders, or on a hard drive where it gathers dust. It's mental masturbation on a grand scale.

Small companies figure they can't afford it. This may be true because they've spent a lot of money to hire a new marketing director from a big company. So they have lots of internal strategy meetings led by the new marketing director, where there's copious and abundant speculation on how to motivate customers. But in the end, everyone in the room knows whose opinion will win out.

How to apply the Costanza Effect: Talk to your customers. Take them out to lunch, ask them open ended questions, and LISTEN. But don't just listen, record or write down everything relevant thing they say, because if you don't, you'll inevitably reconfigure it in your head to match your own world view. Ask customers what reservations they had about doing business with you, and what they felt once they became a customer. Ask about all their pain points, and rank them from 1-10.  After you've done that, have the internal strategy meeting once again. This time make your customer's opinion the most important one in the room.

What most companies do with their products:

They start off with a fundamental product or service that defines the company's brand—it's what they stand for. Think McDonald's hamburgers. The product or service fulfills a specific need for their customers and everyone is happy. As the company grows, the pressure is on to maintain growth and increase revenue, so management decides to expand and compete in another related area by adding more products or services which seems to make sense, but often leave customers scratching their heads. Think VW Phaeton. Soon, customers can't remember why they liked the company or what it stood for in the first place.

How to apply the Costanza Effect: Every time you're tempted to create a line extension,  or add new services, ask yourself  'what am I known for, and does this new product make me more famous for that one thing'. If not, resist the urge to do so because you'll only confuse your customers and weaken your brand. Your best bet may be to improve what you're already doing so your customers will be happier. If you have a new idea that's so great, but doesn't fit with what makes you unique in the first place, start a new company to support it.

What most companies do with their media tactics:

They treat the latest marketing trend as a puppy dog regards a passing fire truck. Last year it was You Tube, this year it's Twitter and Facebook, next year it'll be mobile video and crowd-sourcing. Whatever tactic is the flavor of the month is enthusiastically adopted, dabbled with, and then ultimately neglected in favor of the next one that flies by, sirens screaming. In the meantime, there's only a vague notion of why it's been adopted, usually expressed in web 3.0 babble .

How to apply the Costanza Effect: Don't forget the reason you're in business—because you provide customers something they need. Forget about media tactics, and figure out your strategy. For instance "Reach disillusioned office workers and help them find a new career", or "Show System Admins in mid-sized technology companies how they can be more effective in their jobs, and improve their status". Once you've got a viable strategy that fits your company's mission, picking the media is easy. It's a matter of being in the best place to reach (and help) your customers. Once in a while, the perfect way to support your strategy might be one of those sexy new Social Media channels—if that's where your customers are when they need your help.

Thanks, George

Whenever you get an instinct about a new marketing direction, or a new program, ask yourself this: what would everybody else do? Then, apply the Costanza effect, and do the exact opposite.

1. Design a web site that looks really slick, in the same color as every other site in your business category.

2. Make sure your tag line is broad enough that it can encompass every customer’s possible need and desire.

3. Study your competitors to see what messages and styles seem to work really well, then use those in your own marketing.

4. Make sure potential customers know about every wonderful thing you do. Never miss an opportunity to list every single benefit and feature you provide—you never want to turn away any potential business.

5. Never take a stand that will allow you to be labeled or pigeon-holed in any way.

6. Create your brand style with the same approach you take when you dress for a funeral: tasteful, understated and unobtrusive.

7. Avoid overly emotional statements at all cost—especially if you’re selling a logical product

8. Never admit to making a mistake or having a weakness—always appear to be strong and in control.

9. Use your marketing to convince people of your superiority with lots of charts, statistics and bullet points.

10. Don’t be overly swayed by customer opinions about your business or about your marketing—after all, you’re the expert, not them.

Are you more interested in doing business with a company that wants to destroy their competition, or one that cares about your happiness and success?

The language of traditional marketing is the language of war: waging campaigns, hitting targets and beating the competition. And believe me, with 20 years in the ad business, I’ve been down that road. But the language of new marketing is the language of love: Gaining permission, developing relationships, personalizing the experience and joining communities.

Boy, have things changed: Not long ago, marketing was a monolog. Advertisers put their message out on the airwaves, in print, and other traditional media. If it was clever or relevant, maybe you paid attention. But I bet you’ve noticed it sure can’t grab your attention the way it used to. Not even on the Superbowl.

Now, 8 years after The Cluetrain Manifesto,  we’ve truly moved away from monolog to dialog and on to a community dynamic. For every interest (business or otherwise) there’s a community, with a lively, opinionated exchange about who fulfills their needs. Now, if we want to sell a product or service within a community that cares about it, we need to show the citizens of that community some love.

If you’re starting up a new business, you have a great opportunity to find your community and get clued-in early, discovering which product features people consider essential before you build them. That way, when you launch, you won’t be ‘polishing a turd’, as we used to say in the ad business.