Does Your Brand Messaging Have Stopping Power?

Does Your Brand Messaging Have Stopping Power? | Kevin Perlmutter

Every other summer, my family has a tradition.

We rent a house on Long Beach Island on the New Jersey shore – me, my immediate family, along with my dad, stepmom, siblings, nieces, and nephews. About 18 of us spend the week together, and the tradition has become somewhat of a routine. Mornings at the beach and afternoons in the pool. There's a water park day, ice cream day, mini golf day, Italian dinner night, taco night, lobster night, and several other things we do each time we go. We're predictably predictable.

One other tradition has been donuts. Not just any donuts, but an assortment of 2 dozen donuts, including the "Best Jelly Donut on the Planet!"

How did we find this place, you might be asking?

Well, right there, on the main road that runs through the island, is a building with a sign that says: "Best Jelly Donut on the Planet!"

The first time I saw it several years ago, it caught my attention, and I swerved into a parking spot. It was like a cartoon where the character floats through the house following a smell right into the kitchen - but much more aggressive. I was feeling Limbic Sparks before I created the term Limbic Sparks.

The sign is genius! I’m willing to bet that they get new customers every day – just from this sign.

What I love about this is that Ferrara’s is a small bakery in a town with a lot of vacationers, and they know what they do well. They probably had customers telling them how good the donuts are, and perhaps someone even used the words “Best Jelly Donut on the Planet!” Then, in a stroke of brilliance, they put it on the sign.

It's a wonderful example of how to create Limbic Sparks → find out from your customers what they say you're good at, then use that insight to attract new customers. It's likely that other people will feel just as compelled to get those benefits from you.

Without customer insight, you may default to more generic benefits like "Open early," "Great variety," or "We also sell fresh bread." All of which is true, but without that "drive off the road" power of “Best Jelly Donut on the Planet!”

If you can discover what people like best about their experience with your brand - what’s creating those Limbic Sparks - you can use that insight to attract others who will most likely be drawn to those same benefits.

Do you know why your customers choose you?

Featured Articles & Podcasts