42- PR and Marketing Laws - No. 4: Words

You may have heard of the law of focus, which is that one of the most powerful concepts in marketing and PR is to lodge a word in your customers’ minds.

When it comes to PR, I call this the law of words.

Our business often requires us to define key phrases and words for our clients and their products.

I’m partial to this law, because it makes us think about the content of our press releases, the words that absolutely must be included.

This law challenges us to distill our message (press release headlines, email subjects) into a single idea.

If you can figure out how to hitch your product to a single idea, or even a single word, you can be a market leader.

Our client SECOND CLOTHING saw all their collections transformed when they came up with YOGA JEANS over 15 years ago.

Because of the power of these two simple words, all their collections bear this name today; naturally, they own the trademark.

It’s impressive to witness the power of words.

Europeans have long been protective of many of their words; for instance, when they use the French controlled designation of origin (e.g.

Champagne, Cognac, Roquefort) or the European protected designation of origin (e.g.

Parmesan).

In America, it’s companies and products that have left their mark in people’s minds, such as: Frigidaire Google Apple iPhone, iPad, etc.

Once these words are associated with a particular business, there’s no point trying to make them your own.

For example, the VOLVO brand is synonymous with safety.

If any other auto makers tried to identify with this word, they’d be wasting their time.

That’s the law of words.

Other brands cannot make these words their own because they’re so ingrained in consumers’ minds that it amounts to a belief.

What is a belief?

It’s just a word or idea, repeated.

Religions are quite handy with the repetition principle.

I think Amazon is in a good position to appropriate the words “low price” and “fast delivery” for e-commerce.

Whereas Walmart and Costco continue to lead in North America, with everyday low prices for the first brand, and wholesale for the second.

Here again, we come back to Step 1 of the NATA PR model: Why would they talk about you?

The answers to these questions also match consumers’ expectations, such as a locally-made vegan frozen dessert.

That’s why it’s important to choose the words that represent and define brands.

My partner and I have thought long and hard about the words and phrases that define the agency.

In recent years, many of our competitors have let themselves be influenced by the internet, abandoning the PR label to become communications and marketing agencies.

We’re so glad we resisted this trend because PR is a term – a word, even – that more companies are searching for than ever before.

I’ve taken it even further by defining what we do: MAKING YOU KNOWN.

The law of words must be followed scrupulously and thoughtfully, with a generous helping of openness and creativity.

Need advice on development and brand awareness for your business?

Book a free consultation now – and I’ll tell you in all honesty if I can help you.

Free consultation.

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