Valuable Lesson in Communication Design (From My Mom)

Each day, the average American is exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of advertising messages that cost billions of dollars to put out. From television commercials to website banner ads to billboards to posters on subway cars to Facebook ads, and so on, we are constantly being spoken to. For most of us, we zone these messages out. They either aren’t meant for us, or they are meant for us and just don’t deliver enough for us to care.

My mom is a creative director for a healthcare communications agency in Philadelphia. Not only is she a fantastic designer, but she really knows how to work with coworkers and clients to create a powerful message. Ever since I started to show an interest in communication and marketing, my mom has constantly stressed three simple rules, rules that she says far too few people think about.

1. Who is your target audience?
2. What is the message you want to convey to them?
3. What do you want them to do (call to action)?

Sounds pretty fundamental, right? In fact, it seems insane, that anyone would send an email or launch a campaign (or release anything, for that matter) to the public without knowing the answers to these three questions, at least on a subconscious level. However, we constantly see messaging that is a little “off” because their creators don’t truly do their due diligence. Are you speaking to the right audience? Do you even know who your audience is? Are you sending the proper message? Are you clearly telling the audience what you want them to do?

We live in a world of information overload. There is just too much out there to process it all. Companies are wasting millions and billions of dollars on ineffective messaging, and it just doesn’t make any sense.

Take a step back. Do you take the time to think about these questions, in some form, before you write an email, a term paper, or create a national advertising campaign? It’s ok if you don’t, but I hope this post helps you start. Also, thanks mom! I love you!