All in the Circle of Likeability

We are often asked about our philosophy regarding marketing and buying media. In general is, “it all works if used properly and all fails if used improperly.” While the message and brand must remain on point, how people use and consume each media is different. How to best engage with individuals changes from media to media. It is important to put the ‘who’ ahead of the ‘how many’. It is not about buying points, it is about buying people. Too many agencies and media buyers focus on the how many, when the focus should be on the ‘who’. Who can make the biggest impact, who is your customer, who is going to respond to the story better than others do? That is where buying programs (television), formats (radio), and sections (print) are important, then crafting the message to fit that targeted audience. This is how we not only handle our profit business clients, but our for non-profit clients as well, in this there really is not much difference between the two. Similarly, social media demands different messages depending on the social network. What works on Twitter will not work on Facebook, and what works on Facebook will not work as well on Twitter. It is about knowing your target audience and making sure that your message is correctly placed to intercept them, in a way that is appropriate, and that speaks to them. Our philosophy on message is “be liked”! People spend time in places they like, they eat and spend money at places they like, they donate to programs and causes that they like. Creating an emotional connection and a ‘likable’ image resonates. That is where the story comes in. We all like a good story and every business, organization, group and non-profit has one, it’s about getting to that core story and creating some very likable chapters out of them that will translate to the media buy, from the media buy to the targeted demographic and then back to the business. All in the circle of likability.