I have used this space to discuss marketing messages that don’t work, but this blog post is dedicated to pointing out a totally effective message.
While taking part in the annual Treksgiving Marathon of the original Star Trek television series on BBC America, the bombardment of commercials was immense. It was impossible to decipher one message from the next because they all began with Black Friday specials, deals, sales, end-of-year clearances and every other adjective one could think of. In other words, between “The Trouble with Tribbles” and “The Galileo Seven”*, the glaze factor took hold and the turkey’s tryptophan kicked in until a message actually broke through.
This nearly impossible feat was accomplished by Match.com, the online dating service. As a happily married person for more than 20 years, I have no interest in this website whatsoever. However, the message that hit it out of the park was so simple and direct. The entire spot comprised individuals saying to a friend, sibling, parent, workmate and even a police officer, “I met someone.” It didn’t go any further than showing the excitement of meeting the “one,” or who may possibly be this new person in their lives. It didn’t blast away with deals or bargains, but hit at the most essential part of an individual’s life and that is connection.
And connection, whether personal or professional, is what we desire most. How often do we bring the same feeling or sentiment home from a long series of trips to meet with clients or potential clients, conferences, seminars, events and a host of other meetings on the road? How often do you report to your manager or team, “Hey, just sat with … for two hours. We walked our pitchbook, and they liked it and they liked us?” In other words, “I met someone,” and it looks very promising.
What Match.com accomplished in 30 seconds and three words is exactly how successful messaging works and why it looks like, from this vantage point, the best commercial of 2016. We spend so many hours honing our marketing strategies and so often overcomplicate the simplest message of all, which is to connect.
* “The Galileo Seven” remains my favorite Star Trek episode of all time. What’s yours?
The views, statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
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Jonathan Schein is senior vice president and managing director of global business development at Institutional Real Estate, Inc.
