Unless you live under a rock, chances are you’ve heard something about “Mad Men” TV series.
It's set in the '60s, but every lesson Don Draper has to offer about marketing still holds in today’s business world.
By watching the episodes you get a window into ideation, concept testing, campaign developments, and making of client pitches.
Here are my favorite Don Draper created ads that could and should be made into a reality.
This scene can't get old.
Men chase, women choose.
Don got this and closed it.
One of Don's most critical element of work is that he understands the importance of thinking like his customers.
Who do you want your customers to become?
Value is created when transformation is created.
Sort of, “before" your product people did.
“After" your product people do.
Success is not what you make, but the difference that it makes in people’s lives.
Put yourself into your customer's shoes and ask yourself “If I were a customer, why would I want to buy this?” (Check my rant here)
Do your homework.
Great advertising can come from brilliance, but brilliance ultimately comes from research.
Don Draper and Stan Rizzo pitch a minimalist, elegant idea to Heinz with a bold claim “Pass the Heinz”.
The reason they don't mention the word ‘ketchup' or show the bottle is because they're making it THE only option.
It’s simple, yet so effective and most importantly, when you say "Pass the Heinz" well, that’s all you need to say.
Sadly, the clients are clueless (as usual).
“The greatest thing you have working for you is not the photo you take or the picture you paint, it’s the imagination of the consumer,” says Don.
Amen to that.
Interestingly, in 2017 Heinz actually brought the campaign into real life on billboards in New York City.
One of the greatest moments is when Don gives his pitch to Kodak on their new slide projector.
Kodak was very attached to the idea of it being in the shape of a wheel and wanted that to be incorporated in the ad campaign.
Don starts his pitch by describing what ‘the status quo’ is.
“New is the most important thing in advertising” because “technology creates an itch, your product can serve as a lotion”.
Then he moves on to the second stage and opens a curiosity gap.
“But what if we could make a deeper connection with the customer than just ‘new?’”
It’s not fancy features or the technology that sells.
It's the emotional bond to the product that creates the demand.
Notice how Don pauses between sentences to let the point sink in.
Pauses create tension.
Pauses signals to the audience that something important is being said.
Pauses demonstrate confidence.
Don finishes with a solution when he connects the name of the product to the powerful feeling of nostalgia.
Nostalgia sells.
Aligning marketing strategies with emotion has already proven to be successful, but tapping into fond memories can be an invaluable tactic.
We know because we can’t get enough stories about those awesome things from the past.
"This device isn’t a spaceship. It’s a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. Takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called ‘The Wheel.’ It’s called ‘The Carousel.” - Don Draper
What makes Don Draper so good at his job and makes the character so irresistible is the fact that he's a masterful storyteller.
That’s the gold standard you should strive to achieve.
A good story connects with the hearts and minds.
A story communicates 2 + 2, the path to 4.
It doesn’t just communicate 4.
You are not selling coffee, concert tickets, books, lipstick, yogurt, pills, entertainment or information.
You're selling a story.
Tell the story that matters.
Does your communication do that?
Hope you are feeling positive. And testing negative.
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.
P.S. Like what you’re reading here? Well, you have three choices really.
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3. When you are ready to level up, hire me.
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