When you're in launch mode, the act of capturing the attention of your audience is part art, part science. While there certainly are some common, or universal, traits, every communications event has its own uniqueness that I have always found fascinating and engaging. Helping an organization go from concept to reality is rewarding, exciting, and measurable.
The approach for an established brand launching a redesigned or engineered product must be different than the one for new product in a new segment. A new company or brand, however, has to come out of the gate with a crystal clear vision, mission, and reason for being so the public can understand how to process your message. Done well, these are big, attention-grabbing programs so it's critical to ensure your information and resources are ready so consumers can learn more.
At the other end of the spectrum, something like internal communications or customer remediation campaigns require a different approach, but no less care or attention to detail. This audience is passionate and often highly educated about your organization, meaning that bond needs to be nurtured.
Through the course of this blog, we'll look deeper at the many different types of launches. Yet, regardless of the circumstances, you're competing for the attention of a busy audience. Launch communications materials need to be compact and easy to digest; amplifying those messages must display respect for their attention, encourage them to learn more, while still remaining informative.
Too often, I've seen organizations develop a core message and then deploy copy-and-paste strategy to as many communications vehicles they can get their hands on. While I agree that consistency is important, the modern reality is that means your audience is receiving the exact same message, delivered in the same way, multiple times. This repetition gets you nowhere.
Human inclination to repetition is to tune it out, at which point you've lost your audience as they actively avoid - or, if the campaign verges on annoying, react negatively - to what you intend to say. Despite all your effort and investment, people turn their heads to something more interesting.
In my house, at the end of a long day, our TV will be on, tablets will be surfing the web or delivering the news from the day, while phones are buzzing with social media updates. In this is token example, would showing me the same thing thrice be the best use of your launch budget?
A better approach is to think holistically. Tailoring messages to different mediums that lead people on a journey where, at every step, they receive a new piece of your communications puzzle while recognizing something familiar from a previous interaction.
This is the value-add that amplification brings to launch communications. At the end, your audience is more informed and engaged. And you've won.