Recently, I saw this ad from FluentU.com that blew me away. I believe we can learn a number of things from it that will help us implement 3 key elements of a strong brand message.
It is just TOO GOOD not to share.
Before I get into my analysis of this ad, watch the video for yourself:
https://youtu.be/IEuh17Uik7k
Check out their app at fluentu.com
Why this ad resonates with me personally
Learning a new language is hard.
Trust me. I know this from experience.
I've been living in Spain for over 6 years now and I'm married to a native Spanish speaker. Thankfully, she also speaks perfect English.
My language skills have come a LONG way since I first met her (and her amazing family who doesn't speak much English). These days I speak Spanish very fluently. I have client relationships in Spanish and My wife and I even speak in Spanish about 70% of the time at home.
But it hasn't also been that way…
You see, I struggled through years of weird looks, awkward conversations, and MANY embarrassing moments…Like the time I ordered a "penis sandwich" by accident…instead of a chicken sandwich…
If you want a good laugh…go look up the difference between the word "pollo" and “polla” in Español.
(if you did and are now offended I put that in a blog post…get over it…it's a true story)
3 takeaways from this ad you can use in your own marketing to create a strong brand message
1. Expose real, accurate pain points for your customer
In elementary school, we learned the most important elements of every good story is the problem. The same is true in business. If your customer has no problem, you have no business.
"If your customer has no problem, you have no business. "
I explain more about this concept in my article "Why Customer's Really Buy (3 Levels of Problems)".
Here are the problems FluentU identified their target customer has:
- Being bored to death while learning a language
- Not being able to connect with real people — Learning phrases that aren’t useful, having awkward conversations even when you are trying your hardest
- Not understanding cultural nuance (critical when learning a language) — Offending people with your mistake (this actually happens quite frequently). Most of the time people are gracious, but it could be a big deal depending on the circumstance.
What are the real pain points of your target audience?
2. Position your product or service as a clear solution to those pain points
When you have a headache, you take a Tylenol. Why? Because it literally eases the pain. Your product or service must provide a clear solution to your customer's problem.
Here's how FluentU's product resolves the pain of learning a language:
- Learn using an app that incorporates real-world content (music videos, movie trailers, current news, etc)
- Learn language and culture at the same time (Every word and phrase is defined in content, so you can pick up on nuances)
- Learning a language isn’t a choir. It’s engaging and fun (you can connect with it emotionally)
How does your product or service resolve your customer's problem?
3. Paint a clear success picture after choosing your product or service (and contrast it with failure)
One of the most powerful tools you have in marketing is painting a clear success picture. You do that by showing how your solution makes your customer's life better.
I explain more about this in my article "How To Use Customer Success Stories".
Here's how FluentU paints a beautiful success picture (and contrasts it with the failure of not using their solution):
- Falling asleep while learning…laughing and crying with engaging culturally-immersive content
- Getting slapped and chased by an amateur soccer team…having a coffee with friends, making real connections speaking like a local
- Message: Bring language learning to life…Learn a language with real-world videos
If you took a photograph of your customer's success with your product or service, what would that image look like?
Want to learn how to communicate these 3 things clearly in your marketing?
I have a simple checklist for crafting a clear and effective message that your customers will engage with.
It’s literally made me thousands of dollars. It can do the same for you.
This checklist to help you do 4 things:
- Identify your potential customer's #1 pain point
- Introduce your offering as the ultimate solution to that pain point
- Paint a beautiful success picture of what life looks like after experiencing your solution
- Start building lucrative business relationships
Download The Worksheet!
