The Law of Fascination by Reg Bryson

 “Me too” kind of thinking

 The Law of Fascination demands a more positive and proactive attitude to advertising:
People now buy in repertoires.
 The advertising industry may have been wrongly convinced of exactly what advertising
is capable of.
 The Strong Theory – that advertising is indeed persuasive
 The Weak Theory – that advertising’s key role is one of reinforcement or reminder
 More commonly held theory is the “weak force” rationalist’s view that advertising’s
primary role is that of maintaining or reinforcing a brand’s salience among consumers.
 “We are told that advertising is, at best, a supporter of other, more direct marketing
activities and a reinforcer of existing attitudes, values and predispositions.”
 Brand loyalty is most markets is a misnomer.
 Consumers are purchasing across a repertoire of brands they perceive to be more
similar than dissimilar.
 “Brands, the cornerstone concept of modern advertising practice, have reached a crisis
of commodification – no differentiation, no loyalty and no impact”.
 Too many of today’s advertisers seem content to simply follow the crowd.

CONVERGENCE ADVERTISING

 No one is challenging preconceived motions.

 Creative advertising is becoming an oxymoron
 FACT: “Me too” strategies rarely work
 FACT: Advantage does not come from imitation
 The extent and serious effect this commercially crippling convergence force actually has
on a corporation is not widely known.

WHAT HAPPENED TO DIFFERENTIATION?

 Consumers see most brands in a category more or less the same

 CONSISTENCY AND CREDENTIALS > CREATIVITY
 Higher need for recognition and awareness than for consumer interest and involvement
 Differentiation remains a critical aspect of marketing.
 CONVERGENCE not DIFFERENTIATION is currently the defining force.
BRAND PARITY HAS BECOME, THROUGH BLAND ADVERTISING, BLAND PARITY

 BRANDS ARE BECOMING GENERIC

 Creativity in advertising is now more about processing and packaging than about
uniqueness or creating differentiation.

THE DANGER OF SAFETY

 A safe brand idea or advertising is actually dangerous because it can delude the
company buying it into thinking it will work for them.
 Brand names or advertising ideas that merely fit are lost in a cluttered environment.
 Agencies must reward the consumer and be different amidst the cluttered world of
advertising instead of merely satisfying the client.
 LOT OF RISKS
 BE DIFFERENT, BE CREATIVE, BE BOLD!
 “SAFETY” = MORE HARM THAN GOOD!

WHY ADVERTISING IS YOUR MOST POTENT WEAPON

Advertising Situation:

 Advertising that significantly disturbs the status quo in a market is remarkably rare.
 Advertising's role is achieved by being creative
 Companies, however, would prefer to "fit in" than "be famous"
 "Good is the enemy of the great" has lost to "Close enough is good enough" and "Quick
enough is better" (Playing safe!)
 There has been little support for advertising's true potential: that of a potent, powerful,
persuasive force capable of transforming a business.

True believers of advertising: "The weak approach in this day and age is nothing short of
commercial stupidity"

 Doing the forgettable is unforgivable

 It can change attitudes and behavior. It doesn't merely influence sales but can create
them.
 It must be an active weapon – it must have an effect.
 "If a company advertises in a dull, boring, and expected manner, then the company is
perceived as dull, boring, and unexciting".
o A company will be perceived in the same atmosphere they used to advertise.
When well-used:

 Advertising can be the last legal means of gaining an unfair advantage over competition.
 "Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." - Albert Einstein
 JP Jones: The most successful campaigns were not hard-selling but were likeable. They
reward the viewer with entertainment and important statements about the brand.

CONQUEST ADVERTISING
The conquest approach:

 The future health of a brand is not about brand competitiveness

o Brand Distancing: Creating a massive space around a brand
 Gets talked about
 People appreciate cleverness
 Similarity and familiarity breed apathy
 Clever ad = Clever product by a clever company
 Costs much less than dull convergence advertising; FINESSE not FORCE. KNOCKOUT not
BOMBARDMENT. BRAINS not MUSCLE.

Critical Differentiator:

 An analysis of 55 US Corporations found that brands that grew differentiation between

1993 and 1995 also grew operating profits significantly more.
 Differentiation is critical and it works!
o It is no longer enough for a brand to be the symbol of "quality, value, familiarity,
confidence, reassurance and integrity"
o Brand knowledge accumulates as memories and needs to be refreshed with new
content
 Affect is more important for decision-making than cognition
 Affective memory = feelings and emotions // Cognition = knowledge and awareness

 Key outcome: A relationship developer

o Less about selling and more about building relationships with customers in a
clever, charming, honest, fascinating and likeable way
o Help the buyers buy rather than simply helping the sellers sell
The starting point of the process of brand building?
BE FASCINATING!