Messaging is important. I've been perusing a large amount of material produced by corporate marketing offices and it is sometimes a chore to figure out exactly what the company does. They create wordy paragraphs referencing their culture and sometimes their mission, but the core of what they do has to be ferreted out by digging deeply.
I've written before about Trade Shows and how some booth displays clearly indicate what they are about, but the majority mask their mission in phrases and words that require deciphering. Their message needs to be concise and on point, but often is not. Large companies with recognizable names will usually go ahead and draw visitors simply through brand familiarity, but the small ones see the traffic pass them by because they don't realize the value hidden behind the vague and confusing messaging.
Companies need to re-learn how to be clear about what they do. Their images need to convey the same message. A good example might be a seed company supplying hybrid seed to farmers. A simple message would state something along the lines of, "Hybrid Seeds Are Our Specialty!" In the background there should be fields of growing plants from those seeds. They could inset some smaller photos of a laboratory, a DNA strand, a happy farmer and maybe even a consumer. The images should support the core message clearly and concisely.
Instead, what you are likely to see is a technology focused photographic mosaic with happy employees doing things which are not clearly related to the message which is all about their culture. Wait! Maybe that is the key. The messaging is focused inward, not outward. It is all about me rather than what I can do for you. Could it be that the same disease which has infected individuals is corrupting the ability of companies to articulate why they exist?
We need to reexamine company messaging. It shouldn't be inward focused; it should be all about the customer and how we serve them. It should clearly state, "THIS is what we can do for you!"
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