Back to communication effectivess, cutting through the clutter

Technology is rapidly changing our world, especially our media and communication. We are witnessing an explosion of touchpoints, i.e. the points at which we interact with our customers and other stakeholders. But what happened to communication effectiveness? 

Whereas many touchpoints used to be paid (advertisements on TV or in a newspaper, billboards, etc.), most now live online. The Internet has freed businesses from the dependency on (expensive) paid media. It has also created a free-for-all as companies vie for the most likes, retweets, and downloads with an endless supply of animations, virtual reality, apps, videos, online content, click bait, etc.

Getting it right matters

Not so long ago, communication was so expensive that much thought went into strategy and translating that into a Big Idea. Today, more is more. The cost of communicating has gotten so low that the common approach seems to be: let’s just throw enough mud at the wall and some of it might stick. However, the rise of “cheaper” earned and owned media masks the fact that getting it right still matters. And that getting it wrong is still an expensive proposition.

Cutting through the communication clutter

When we started full.stop, we were an agency that created smart communication campaigns, tool mixes and individual tools for customers. We still do. But too much of communication has been reduced to tool production. The means have become the end. “Do we need an app? What social media should we use? Infographics are cool. Can we have some made? How about iPhone video? We need likes! Right?… But we have always done a brochure. Why stop now?”

Along the way, we figured out that our true value is in how we can help customers cut through the clutter, not contribute to it. In other words, we want to focus on what communication is really about: reaching, engaging and convincing a target audience, to deliver the business goals you have set.

Back to communication effectiveness

So instead of more-more-more, we go back to the basic 1-2-3 of communication. Back to a focus on effectiveness. Who are you, what is your audience and how does that translate into communication needs and to dos? Your communication tools are a logical reflection of who you are and where you want to go, and who your stakeholders are and where they are going. That’s why the tools come at the end, not the beginning.

Once a strategy (your big.picture, as we call it) is in place, we craft your custom campaigns, mixes and tools. Instead of simply developing the tools that are trending now or, on the flip side, build the media you know because “you have always done it this way,” we set out to meet the six criteria for communication that works in our cluttered society. Specifically, we want to develop communication that is consistent, effective, efficient, authentic, relevant and remarkable. In short, we want to get your communication right and can’t wait to get started.

Photo: Bert Stephani