Communication strategy is a key element of a company's marketing mix and is built after defining the strategic marketing plan which sets out audience, positioning and the market promise in terms of value, uniqueness and differentiation from competitors.
Communication aims to make the brand's values, identity and proposition clear and compelling, securing a distinct place in people's minds.
Our communication messages are external stimuli entering the customer's black box and competing with many other elements.
Noise in perception and image
When communicating, we must understand how people decode messages, knowing there will always be noise from the following factors.
- Selective Attention: people's attention is declining, as is the chance of getting a message through. We are estimated to receive 4,000–10,000 advertising messages daily. How many can we notice?
- Selective Distortion: each person modifies incoming messages to fit their experiences, expectations and desires. For example, one of the most powerful cognitive biases is confirmation bias.
- Selective Recall: even when we pay attention, we remember only part of a message. Recall strength depends mainly on its impact and/or promise.
Decoding and absorbing messages are closely linked to the audience's opinions and beliefs, and in turn influence behaviour and attitudes.
Communicators need a message that is simple, clear and interesting to reduce noise, and repeatable to counter selective recall.
The message first enters short-term memory, then moves into long-term memory.
Image is the set of opinions and attitudes a person holds about something.
Image is the heart of a company's Brand Equity — what the customer perceives.
Communication works with every other marketing tool to build Brand Identity — what we tell the market in line with the strategy.
We use the semantic differential technique to develop the ideal image and brand identity in contrast to the current image, or Brand Equity.
The phenomenon of image persistence
If I believe pasta brand A is the best on the market, several negative experiences will be needed before doubt enters my perception.
Unfortunately, the reverse is also true.
This is why launching a new product or service is critical and fundamental.
This carry-over effect is called image persistence.
Psychology explains it through the effect of confirmation bias and the brain's inherent economy of effort: it does not want to work at revising initial opinions.
Marketing, especially for consumer brands, makes extensive use of this effect. Once a certain level of awareness and familiarity is reached, targeted seasonal campaigns can be enough to maintain persistence.
