Chapter 4. Image
Intro to image
Like a gothic romance novel that suddenly shifts to a supporting character’s life story, we now turn to image.
Defining image
Is that product you’re advertising one product? No, it’s two: the real product and its image. The image is…
How? your product is seen by the outside world
What? you’re trying to project to the outside world
The image is also a can of worms, because dozens of things comprise it.
These include PR, product quality, word of mouth, and sheer luck. Still, we’ll try to open the part we’re responsible for: advertising.
Why have an image?
If your product is viewed in some positive way, it can separate you from the competition and smooth the path to a response. Done right, your ads don’t just generate results. They take on a life of their own in the prospect’s mind.
However, even if you succeed, your prospect isn’t thinking about this image living inside her head. The image floats between her ears as a non-visual, non- verbal entity - a pre-thought. However, it leaps into her consciousness when she has a need, and that gives you a jump on the competition.
Product hitches onto the feel-good ride
Often, the prospect is more interested in the image he summons than the composition of your product. Perhaps you can think of a consumer product where the competing brands are ultra-similar, and each has a different image. (But don’t accuse the soft drink, running shoe and beer companies of doing this.)
We allow ourselves
We let products mean more to us than their basic makeup. This has been written about endlessly, and a dissertation here won’t add anything. Instead, let’s see how you can form an image for your product.
Aspects of image
Here they come.
Image is mostly visual
Unsubstantiated thought: People internalize visual images more than slogans and messages. The product’s image is usually derived from the visuals in the advertising. Therefore, it’s easier to establish a product image if you use many visuals in your ads.
Interestingly, radio commercials form superb visual images, because the prospect shapes the pictures.
Stick
Your image needs to have sticking power. If it’s weak, like a US map or a red dot, nobody will remember it.
Likewise, most background designs don’t create images. Let’s say your ad layout uses a lot of rectangles and 90-degree angles. While this can look fabulo, don’t expect the prospect to carry it as an image. However, it can help generate excitement, and that can be effective. Reference: “Exciting,” on page 100.
Paper stock doesn’t create an image
Id Ealess says, “We’re going to put this mailer on expensive stock, because that’ll help our image.” Save your money, Id. Magnificent paper is impressive for a little while, but it makes no lasting impact with the prospect. And lasting impact helps build an image.
The trick
The trick is to do two things at the same time:
1. Get many responses.
2. Chisel out the image.
The intelligent way is to state that “getting responses” is your primary goal for the next six months, and “building the image” will be part of that. The reason you can do this: If prospects are responding to your campaign, you are establishing the image. (Just make sure the campaign has an image.)
Don’t make “building the image” your primary goal, because it will be difficult to hold the organization together during the long struggle. Coworkers will say, “I know what our goal is, but we need responses now.” And they will be right.
To summarize, you make “getting results” the objective...and you begin to get them. Then, you have the leeway to pursue your equal goal: Create an image and make it grow for many years.