Transformational power of Marketing Communiques

Marketing communiques have the power to enhance consumer experiences. Sometimes even mar them. This enhanced experience is only relevant if the consumer were to be exposed to the message before actual purchase and use of a product or service brand. In fact, a strong communique can even 'manufacture' feelings, consumers go through.

Take the soft drink brand, Thums Up, in India. Positioned as the drink with the 'Anything For Thunder' attitude, it intends to heighten the otherwise drab experience of drinking a soda. Does the communique' succeed? Maybe, maybe not.

Again, imagine drinking an energy drink named 'Battery'. Brand names too are communiques. The name 'battery' conjures up images of getting 'charged'. To some others, the very name builds up images of something corrosive and horrid in your mouth!

Communiques that are able to enhance consumer experiences are termed 'transformational'. A transformational Ad is one which associates the experience of using (consuming) the advertised brand with a unique set of psychological characteristics which would not typically be associated with the brand experience to the same degree, without exposure to the advertisement. Such ads create feelings, images, meanings, and beliefs about the product or service that may be activated when consumers use it, transforming their interpretation of the usage experience.

It makes sense for marketers to use communiques to differentiate a brand by first exposing the consumer to a unique Brand experience, through a communique, before they actually use the brand.

Therefore it makes sense to let the consumer see Akshay and his death defying stunts through a TV commercial before they actually drink Thums Up. Else, to most it would be just another soda.

Comments

Rakesh said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rakesh said…
Dear Sir,
Rakesh here,
I agree with your analysis of Transformational Advertising. But what if marketers take the transformational ad theme a little too far and end up making the Ad simply unbelievable (the message). For ex. the Ad for Mountain Dew which takes forward the "daar he aage jeet hai" theme. The ad shows two guys driving off a rocky cliff only to end up landing in a lake, escaping unhurt and going on in the end to win the rally that they were participating in.

Is this ad not taking the transformational ad scheme a little too far? Will such an ad strike a chord with consumers? Will it not get people to reject the communique simply because the events depicted are unbelievable?

And most importantly.. Is there a fine line between an ad being transformational and an ad being unbelievable?
Silas Davis said…
Very interesting article on transformational power of marketing communiqué, to show that marketing can develop a desire for a product. However, this statement is not totally true. To persuade anyone you need them to be in a psychological mind frame before hand. It is also true that exposing the potential consumer to the product or event will help create that psychological mind frame. I believe it starts long before the ads and the marketing gimmicks. It begins with a social culture, subculture beliefs, a need, or a desire. If the potential consumer was reared in a subculture where the beliefs were in order to advance in this society you need athletic skills. The potential consumer will be in the mind frame to find anything that will give this person the edge. Then transformational power of marketing communiqué concept will have it place. Therefore, the market was already there. It needed a company to direct the consumer to a product, service, or event that would fix the need.
The explanation has just been lifted from internet and pasted here by author.The example given of thumbs up is crude and not properly explaining the transformational advertising.It is sad that in advertising literature so much theoretical jargon is cramped up but when it comes to giving relevant examples most of literature and books falter.Same applies to this author who seems to have moderate level of knowledge and research in area of teaching.Lacks practical experience too.Levi's jeans is one more relvant example of transaformational advertising.Two elements that are important are associated feelings [prior to] using prodict and then association of brand with use/user.Unless this happens transformational advertising wont work.

Prof R K Gupta
rkgupta dot in

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