Can Clark Kent Marketing Build A Superman Brand?

We all know the answer. Mild-mannered marketing never produces super hero-size results. And yet, one marketing director after another has taken a modest marketing budget and spent it in modest ways hoping to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Just not gonna happen. Clark Kent advertising tactics won’t get a brand off the ground. That’s why Agency Creative approaches advertising and branding in a way that deploys the advertising budget––large or small–– in a more integrated way. Think of it like this. Superman takes up the same space as Clark Kent. (Spoiler alert: they’re the same guy). Superman is not an army. He is still just one dude. He simply does a whole lot more with what he has. His eyes see through walls, his hands can bend steel bars, his feet outrun bullets and let’s not forget that flying thing. That’s exactly what integrated advertising does. It makes the most of what you’ve got. It has your prospects surrounded at each an every touch point. It experiments with more unorthodox approaches. It embraces creative executions that make your CEO nervous.  And at the end of the day, it gets results. Superman-sized results. What do you need to make an integrated advertising campaign work? Here are a few tips:

1. What’s your super power? You need a compelling brand insight. What is it that sets your brand apart from the pack? Every product or service has a difference. Dig for it.
2. Put yourself in your consumer’s shoes. That’s what Superman does. That Clark Kent three-button suit is a disguise. Those horn-rimmed glasses are a mask. He is walking in our wingtips to experience what we feel. Our fears, our hopes, our dreams. Your brand promise needs to speak as much about your prospect as it does about your brand difference. Promise confidence, peace of mind, security, popularity, convenience, prestige, prolonged youth––whatever. Think benefits, not attributes.
3. Surround them. Fully integrated advertising surrounds your target at each and every touch point. Your message is where they are: drive time radio, the evening news, outdoor boards, trade ads, digital banners, PPC ads. It targets your customers where they live right up to the POS at the end of the purchase cycle. Ka-ching!
4. Be inventive. Superman could simply out-power the bad guys, but he rarely does. He is clever. He makes the uncanny chess move. He squeezes out the insightful deduction. Don’t settle for rote solutions. Think outside the phone booth.
5. Don’t be afraid to fly. The genius of the Clark Kent alter ego is his unmitigated cowardice. No one would ever mistake him for Superman. Don’t be that guy. If you want to grow a giant “S’’ on your chest, you need to take risks. Marketing people have to be ready to roll the dice. Step off the building and see what happens.

We are a Dallas Advertising Agency specializing in integrated marketing solutions.