That got me thinking...how can a messaging approach work wonders with one product, yet be woefully inadequate with another? That's when I realized what should have been so obvious before - different types of products and services need different types of messaging techniques. When I look back at all the different product launches I've been involved in, I can basically group them into 3 key categories - revolutionary, mature and commodity.
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| Revolutionary | Mature | Commodity |
| Definition | A product that breaks so much new ground – you can’t believe it really works! | Nothing earth-shattering but there are significant functional differences between competitors. | Unless you buy and use the product or service, you can’t tell the difference – and even then, you might not be able to tell anyway. |
| Examples | iPhone, Sakhr live translator | Laptops, marketing automation software | Water, many professional service firms |
| Messaging challenge | Explaining what the product does in a way that people can quickly understand | Highlighting competitive differentiators and why they matter | Emphasizing one key message that sticks |
| Best technique | Messaging hierarchy | Power messaging | Basic branding |
| The technique in a nutshell | Cut through feature “spaghetti” and cohesively group different functions and benefits that your product offers. | Identify target user and pain points that prevent them from meeting their key objectives. Identify unique product differentiators that then address those pain points. | Identify one key benefit (expertise, value, ease of use, safety, etc.) and consistently associate it with your product. The benefit may not be related to your core product features. |
Of course, applying the right marketing technique is easier said than done. You have to be as objective as possible in identifying the right category that your new product belongs to. Even though the techniques may vary from category to category, there are still a lot of common things you can do related to grouping ideas, emphasizing benefits and sticking with a small list (usually 3) of themes. And while it's possible to move a product from one category to another, it's difficult to create a compelling story doing that. Try using the right technique with your products, and let me know how it goes.
