As an agency frequently working on rebrands or large corporate/nonprofit announcements, we spend significant time in strategy phases to plan a rollout. Questions we ask ourselves include the following:
- How and when will we share the news with the internal team? What excites them? How much advanced notice do they need to prepare?
- Why should anyone care? How will it affect or benefit our client’s audience? What message will resonate according to their target personas?
- What will the post-rollout plan be for continuing to share the news over the next six to twelve months?
Odds are, you know what we are talking about. The super sale email from Gap announces, “This changes everything.” These messages tease “big news” or a “major announcement.” You might also see it on social media or in signage.
Sometimes, it’s accompanied by a secretive-looking image or even a piece of an image, leaving the viewer wondering what the message is referencing.
Or are they wondering?
More often than not, “something big” is nothing more than a new brand or offering from a company. Interesting? Yes. Fun? Perhaps. Helpful? Hopefully. But big? Doubt it.
“Huge News” would be a tornado blowing in, a substantial raise on the way, or a black bear on the attack. Not an announcement that you now offer deliveries.
Why do I point this out?
I don’t write this to pick on those who have used this phrase when making a company announcement. Instead, I bring this to your attention to remind you always to put your mind into the mind of your readers when thinking about marketing tactics.
Perhaps your announcement is “big” to you, but do others really care? How can you instead tease it in a way that helps others get excited?
For example, you’re an interior designer offering a new online course: “Now you can learn to design without hiring a pro!” Or you’re a construction firm announcing a rebrand: “Get ready for a modernized approach to our process that matches our new modern brand!”
Instead of wording it from your point of view, always ask yourself, “Why would anyone care?”
Let’s be honest: the only “big thing” I care about coming to me is a VIP ticket to a Taylor Swift concert or a Great Pyrenees.
