A marketing tactic Coca-Cola used already a century ago, but what B2B marketers aren’t using to this day...
A marketing tactic Coca-Cola used already a century ago but what B2B marketers aren’t using to this day...
3 weeks ago, I came across some old Coca-Cola ads from the 1910s, and I immediately noticed a pattern in many of them.
Something I just recently read about from a B2B Institute research paper.
And they recommended everyone to do.
But I don’t see anyone doing.
Let’s look at these ads.
What do you see?
👉Next time you drive into down
👉After the walk
👉After the theater
👉Whenever you’re hot, tired or thirsty
👉Steaming hot
👉Hard work
They are tying consuming Coke to specific triggers that happen throughout someone’s life.
So after seeing this ad 100 times, the next time you’re driving into town, you get a sudden urge to buy Coke.
💯Or at least when you’re driving into town, and it’s steaming hot, and you want a drink, Coke is one of the first drinks to come in mind.
And what’s awesome about it is that they are directly calling it out.
They are not trying to convey a message through some cheesy image of a steaming hot day.
They make sure you understand it.
💡They are tying consumers’ brains to certain category entry points (CEPs). 💡
They are doing brain engine optimization.
That’s what the aforementioned B2B institute research paper wrote about.
In B2B, it’s slightly different ’cause no one drives into a town and wants to buy a data warehouse.
🎯But the essence of growing mental market share and ensuring your brand is the first to come to mind in certain situations is the same.
Here are some questions you can ask your customers to identify your CEPs. (And create messaging that aligns with those situations.)
👉When - Are there any times of the day when your business is more likely to <buy/use category>?
👉Where - Where do your staff use <category>?
👉What - What were you doing before you experienced a need for <category buying/usage>?
👉With What - What other products do you use with <category>?
👉Why - Why does your business buy <product/service>?
👉hoW feeling - How did you feel before you bought/used <product/service>? What words or phrases would you use to describe your emotions?
One example brand that’s nailed it is Grammarly.
They have ads for various situations when you might want your writing to be top-notch.
For example, writing an important email to your boss.
After seeing the ad 10s of times, at some point when you want to ace it. You’ll try Grammarly.
💡In B2B, 95% of your target market is out of the market right now.
So you really need to ensure that when the window opens, and they are ready to buy, you’re the first to come to mind.
Because people choose between the first 2-3 brands that come to mind. That’s it
No one’s gonna spend hours doing actual research.
No matter how rational they claim to be.
That’s why everyone should make content, ads, & messaging that speaks to their CEPs.
So that when people are in that situation, they’ll remember you.