Seeing is Believing
By Karen Hansen

Recently, my husband and I decided it was time for a good, old-fashioned family road trip. We really wanted to have the children experience a vacation the way we did – a long drive on a two-lane highway with little voices chorusing  “are we there yet” from the back seat. So when Spring Break arrived, we piled in the car and hit the road for a 12-hour sightseeing drive to New Mexico. I want to tell you our trip was packed with visits to historical sites designed to educate our children on the nuances of American history. But I won’t. Because the truth is, the first, and most highly anticipated stop for my children (including my husband) was Roswell, New Mexico. Yes, the lure of UFOs and real aliens – “just like they’ve seen on television” – was too much for my family to bear. Seeing alien fever take hold of my family in that way really made me think: The marketing communications efforts that had exploited this little town for years had done an excellent job generating the desire to “see and believe.”

But, to see is one thing. To actually believe is another.

When we finally arrived to witness the evidence of the Roswell Incident of 1947 at the International UFO Museum and Research Center, we were very disappointed. The center was filled with old newspaper clippings, maps, pictures and re-creations of aliens and UFOs. We browsed through the museum reading the articles, scaring the children with aliens and walked away with a few crazy pictures and the feeling that we’d wasted our time. With 60 years of marketing behind “The Incident,” we craved more than what the Museum delivered. We wanted more than what we read on the website. We wanted more than what we had seen on television. We wanted proof. We wanted to believe. Instead we walked away without any doubt that “The Incident’ was no more than just a great story. And now, unfortunately, what we remember most about the UFO Museum is disappointment and dissatisfaction about the lack of evidence supporting “The Incident.”

Still we did have a lingering feeling of hope. So we continued our sightseeing through the city and witnessed convincing evidence that not all was lost, and the out-of-this-world spirit of the town wasn’t a complete hoax. Hiding in various parts of the town were bits of alien that touched our hunger for the supernatural. Coca-Cola was the first spotted. Along the sidewalks were custom-designed Coke machines in mysterious black (rather than the traditional red and white) featuring little green men enjoying a classic Earth favorite. Coke captured its thirsty visitors as they walked down the street.  The advertising and promotion was clever, appealing and delivered a Coke and a smile. Coca-Cola used its brand to successfully capture the spirit of the Roswell Incident.

Never a company to be outdone, McDonald’s cashed in on alien-hysteria and was a bit out of this world. Apparently a UFO crash landed on the children’s playground. The lights were still blinking and could be seen from the distance drawing in weary sightseers for a ride on the spaceship and a bite to eat before continuing on their journey. Not only was the atmosphere successful in reaching the target audience, but it also delivered on the McDonald’s brand – fast food and fun.

Coca-Cola and McDonald’s invest heavily in advertising to build and support their brands, then they deliver. Of course the Museum does not have advertising dollars equal to Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, but it does have 60 years of history and fascination. It does have numerous documentaries and articles that will live on. Yet, the Museum missed the most important step in marketing: deliver the brand by communicating what is expected for the price of admission – intrigue and a little doubt in your mind that “The Incident” occurred.

It’s important for any company to remember that the brand must live up to its marketing hype. In making sure it does, the most important thing to do is to spend time actively developing the company’s identity. Don’t let it develop itself. Executives should ask themselves what they want their customers to think of when they think of the company. It’s more than putting words on paper. A company must be able to commit to the brand, and employees must live it. That’s what customers expect. And, if your brand does not live up to your customers’ expectations, disappointment – like we had at the Roswell Museum – is sure to follow. The last thing you want to do is to disappoint a customer, because a disappointed customer doesn’t remain a customer for very long.  

So, how should a company go about it? To kick off brand development research is a key consideration. We all think we know our customers and what’s most important to them when making a buying decision. That’s not always the case. Research will uncover hidden messages that help a company carve a defining niche in a competitive marketplace. It’s also important to research within your company as well to make sure that everyone is communicating the right message. As the customers’ wants and needs begin to surface and internal strengths and weaknesses are identified, the brand message and identity are carefully crafted.

The brand message communicates your company’s position in the market, and the commitment you make to your customers. It tells your customers why your company can best meet their needs. Your company’s image is ultimately what your customers see and hear. Once you’ve decided on your brand message and company identity, it should be included in everything you distribute.

Our trip to Roswell was a good representation of the best and worst in marketing communications. On one hand, it was clear to us that both Coke and McDonald’s knew what their customers were looking for and actively developed a marketing strategy that would fit its overall brand and also fit with the quirkiness of Roswell. On the other hand, the Museum failed to live up to our expectations. For those of us going to Roswell expecting an alien encounter, we walked away with nothing more than a few alien-head souvenirs and a lingering sense of disappointment and disbelief. And there’s nothing more disappointing than bad marketing.

E-mail the author: Karen Hansen

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