Between summer camp and sleepovers, bedtime routines get a little off track when there’s no bus to catch in the morning. But with students gearing up for their return to the classroom, parents are working to reinstate the post-dinner routines that help evenings run smoothly.
An integral part of most nighttime routines includes story time, whether kiddos are turning the pages, sounding out words or reading chapter books on their own. The bedtime stories that most parents remember from their youth each come with an important moral, and as it turns out, these life lessons apply to marketing, too!
With the school year’s start right around the corner, the M2 team revisited some of our favorite fairy tales to see what kind of marketing lessons we could glean. Here’s what we found:
The Three Little Pigs
Lesson: Careful planning lays the foundation for success.
In the tale, one pig crafts his house from straw, another from wood and the third from bricks. When the Big Bad Wolf get to blowin’, only the carefully-constructed brick house remains standing. These little porkers prove that anything worth doing is worth doing right. Like building a wolf-proof shelter, assembling a successful campaign takes meticulous planning – and no shortage of strategy. A hastily thrown-together plan might suffice in the short-term, but over time, it won’t stack up against the competition.
Goldilocks & the Three Bears
Lesson: When it comes to choosing your audience, it pays to be picky.
Remember how Goldilocks deemed Papa and Mama Bears’ chairs too big? Brands should follow her lead by recognizing when their target audience is too broad. Because consumers have grown numb to advertisements that are irrelevant or overly generic, the only way to ensure a brand’s message truly resonates is to put it in front of the right viewers. Brands must first determine exactly who they’re talking to, then craft a message that is, in the words of Goldilocks, “just right.”
Rapunzel
Lesson: Sometimes you have to think outside of the box.
Or tower. Depends on whether you’re crafting an attention-grabbing ad campaign or trying to escape the clutches of an evil witch. If it’s the latter, M2 can’t do much more than recommend a good, hair-strengthening conditioner. But if an innovative strategy and never-before-seen creative is what you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered. Our team isn’t afraid to push the limits on conventional creativity, and our clients couldn’t be happier with the results.
Hansel & Gretel
Lesson: Make your brand easy to find.
Although the trail between brands and consumers isn’t littered with breadcrumbs, there’s still something to be learned from these storybook siblings. They knew that finding your way isn’t always easy – a lesson that certainly applies to the chaotic marketplace. Gingerbread houses aside, consumers must be able to connect with your brand easily, whether they’re interested in making a purchase, getting more information or setting up an appointment. A strategic marketing plan ensures that the path from consumer to brand is an easy one to follow.
Marketing campaigns that end in “happily ever after” don’t happen by accident. They take careful planning, killer creative and an experienced agency like M2 to help write your success story. If you’re ready to see what Motivated Marketing can do for your brand, reach out today!