The third potential pitfall in creating a strategy brief is the "Key Message" portion. It's the heart of the strategy statement and should be kept simple. A good one is the result of boiling everything down to a single key message that people can latch onto—and remember. Too many clients want to cram six messages into this slot, thinking that just because it's one sentence, it's one key message.
The following is not a key message. It's an "everything AND the kitchen sink" statement that's so overblown; it's doomed to fail:
MircoComputing is now working closely with Telesoft as an ASP partner and can provide the highest scalability and reliability, and give you full service and support all at a very attractive price and it's available now.
Do you see how many messages are crammed into this "one sentence?" It's a real-life example (with names changed to protect the guilty) of what happens when a company tries to chase after everything and ends up with a mess of nothing.
A single ad could have clearly announced ONE of the following:
- Microcomputing/Telesoft partnership
- ASP service provider
- Scalability
- Reliability
- Full support
- Price deal
- Product (software) is available immediately
Note that in the preceding list there are no ands or commas. These are two dead giveaways that the strategy writer is cheating. If someone hands you a key message statement with either or both, send it back or boil it down yourself to the one element you want to stick in your target audience's mind.
Keeping It Simple
Think of your key message in this way: What territory do you want to "own?" For years, Volvo has owned "safety," while Federal Express has "dependable." Choose your battle and make your flag easy to read and different from the competition's. That's how you break through the clutter.
If your battle plan is lame, what chance do your have of scoring a hit? A good strategy is a like a road map that keeps both the agency and the client on course. Even if the copywriter comes up with a brilliant ad concept, if it isn't on strategy, it won't be effective. This is true for any project; whether it's a print ad, slogan (tagline), web content or direct mail.
The best scenario is to sit down with your agency copywriter or creative director and work out a strategy together. Don't be in a hurry; take some time to do some actual thinking.
Remember, a good copywriter will keep drilling down for the real strategic insights so that when they open their creative arsenal, they have a clear target for that laser-guided message you're paying them to create.