Claim marketing - how to bring out the essence of the brand?

claim marketing this is not at all obvious. For some, claim simply means benefits. Others use the term to refer to scientific claims. Still others use this term for reasons that are supposed to convince customers to use the products or services of a given brand (RTB, or reasons to believe). On the Internet you can find information that a claim is not an advertising slogan or a slogan. So what is it? It depends on the perspective taken.

Claim marketing, like any type of marketing, must fight for an audience. According to a 2015 Microsoft study, even then the average person was able to focus their attention for less than a goldfish. This means that each brand has about three seconds to convince consumers to buy their product or service. Just enough time to read the name. What if she doesn't say much?

Claim marketing comes to the rescue. A good claim provides information about the company's activities and serves to build long-term brand awareness. It can also direct the recipient's attention to the company's mission, present its advantages and emphasize what makes the company competitive.

The role of claim marketing in brand building 

Claim marketing is based on a phrase or word that synthesizes the values or attributes of a brand, product, or service. It is usually located next to a logo and has a specific promotional character. Claims can be temporary - they can be linked to a specific ad campaign - or they can be used on a permanent basis. It can appear in traditional marketing or advertising, digital promotions, public statements, and even on product packaging. It is important that it activates specific associations.

There are many different ways to structure product claims. It can be superlatives ("we are the best!"), Evidence ("our cream is made of ingredients of natural origin in 99%") or even simple statements ("just do it"). A claim is usually 3 to 5 words long. It can encourage, provoke, make you laugh, position, etc. Claim marketing with the help of skilfully constructed slogans allows to demonstrate higher brand value. It can do so by focusing on the key benefits, making the claim tangible (quantifying benefits), and benchmarking with previous products, services, solutions and / or competitors, if there is evidence to support the claim.

Claim marketing - definition

Claim (branding slogan, tagline, baseline) is a short phrase the purpose of which is to consolidate the associations with a given brand in the recipient's awareness. It is a "must have" in the branding or rebranding process, acting as the foundation on which the brand is built and the essence of the marketing strategy.

Claim marketing binds the brand together and suits every message sent out to the world. Claim, as the brand's slogan, must be "wide" enough to build a coherent message for all advertising and image campaigns. It is a valuable support in making purchasing decisions. However, the claim is not an "advertising slogan".

Claim marketing communicates the nature of the brand. It explains to potential customers what values a given brand represents and what it wants to be associated with. Often the claim is so strongly connected with the brand that it becomes its synonym.

Claim marketing allows you to make up for the lack of information contained in the logo or brand name. In short words, it allows you to present the strengths of the brand and what distinguishes it from the competition.

Claim marketing is the result of a brainstorming process that creates a set of slogans and their synonyms that best define the character of a given brand. A claim must be easy to read and sound good when spoken aloud. It cannot cause negative emotions and sarcastic elements.

Claim marketing - quotes

Claim marketing should communicate a specific, real benefit to the recipient and show it in an attractive way that it is unrivaled. As emphasized by Paweł Tkaczyk, author of the book "Brand's nooks and crannies" - "A brand begins in the mind of the consumer. A brand means something specific to the consumer. A brand is often a mental shortcut that allows you to quickly grasp a specific product category or feature. Therefore, the brand should be very precisely defined. Before you start building it, define in detail what it should be for your consumer, and in the next step, add what your brand is not and will not be. "

Seth Godin also convinces about the value of claim marketing, according to whom "Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand". Claim marketing in the first step enables a brand to build its long-term relevance.

Claim marketing allows you to take the first step towards creating a story for your brand. Eryk Mistewicz emphasizes that "There is no valuable company without what can be called a" corporate genome "; without a set of stories served at the entrance to all those who want to work in the company; stories about how it was phenomenally created, what it does brilliant and necessary, how you work in it. "

As Gary Vaynerchuk emphasized, "Only the brand that moves and creates the most emotions wins." Claim marketing can define brand positioning, but if it is improperly selected and communicated, it can also be a "ball and chain", perpetuating values with which the brand absolutely does not want to be associated.

Tom Fishburne is of the opinion that "The best marketing does not show that it is marketing", therefore claim marketing should result in a timeless slogan, easily memorable and immediately evoking specific associations.

Claim marketing and advertising slogan

Claim is the foundation on which we build our brand identity. This is a promise that the brand makes to the customer before it charms them with its offer. Claim, or tagline, is a clarification of the message hidden in our logotype. This is the motto of our brand, which is to attract attention and show what values we follow in our business, eg NIKE - Just do it, APART - For love of beauty, JOHNNIE WALKER - Keep Walking, APPLE - Think different.

A good claim is simple, original, easy to remember, intelligent and extremely eloquent. It may refer to the company's history, traditions, mission or values. It is also used by companies whose name does not really say much about the offer and does not evoke direct connotations with a specific group of products or services.

In turn, the advertising slogan (advertising slogan) is developed for the needs of a specific promotional campaign - sales or image. Its task is to attract attention and arouse interest target audience. It's catchy, simple, and striking a specific need or problem.

The advertising slogan is to convince you to take advantage of a specific offer or draw attention to a specific product or service. However, the claim is to convince to the brand, company or manufacturer. Claim is used by the brand for many years, while the life of the advertising slogan depends on the duration of the campaign it concerns. As a rule, the advertising slogan appears at the beginning of the promotional material, while the claim is presented at the end to close the message and build a more lasting image in the minds of the recipients.

Claim marketing - how to start? 

Often the best point to start creating a claim is people who already use the company's products or services. Existing customers can be a great source of inspiration. They have real experience of the benefits that claim marketing can make use of. If you want to find out exactly what your most satisfied customers love about your product, you can use the customer satisfaction survey. You will then gain immediate access to this data. Sometimes you may receive surprising information and gain a new point of view about your product - something you have not used before in public relationsand which is perfect for that. You may discover that your brand's product is easier to use than your competitor's product. Maybe you will discover new stats - our customers' 99% loves our special features! Here are some sample questions you can ask your customers:

• why do you prefer our brand? (include a list of options to choose from listing the best features of the product)
• How much time, money or effort have you saved since you started using our product?
• if you were considering buying a different brand of products, why did you choose ours?
• complete the following sentence: "Our brand makes it easier ……………… ..".

Claim marketing - examples of advertising campaigns 

A good claim is one that can "defend itself". Sometimes the numbers tell a more compelling story than words and pictures. Brands often rely on quantitative evidence such as rankings to back up claims that cannot be statistically proven. A good example is the advertising of the Subaru brand, showing children growing up and aging dogs, while the car of the brand looks like new. The whole is provided with the Built to last claim. The company's claim to "build to survive" comes from the figures: the 97% of Subaru vehicles sold in the last 10 years continues to run on the road, as confirmed by 2019 data from communications departments.

Advertising pioneer Claude C. Hopkins wrote in the 1920s: “People are like sheep. Neither they can judge values, neither you nor me. We judge things mainly by the impressions of others, by universal favor. We go with the crowd. " These words are also relevant today. Therefore, what claim marketing is willing to use is certification.

The power of claim marketing

From consumer reports by athletes to various experts and celebrities who have been telling us - both explicitly and indirectly - for decades what to believe, including when it comes to products. We strongly trust Jennifer Aniston's hair product range because since her debut as Rachel in "Friends" over 20 years ago, she has inspired her hairstyles. So if she says you're worth it, then she can't be wrong. People also trust immeasurably in her choice of drinks - just because she is Jennifer Aniston.

No matter what consumers see, hear, or experience, they still feel a little uneasy about spending money on a product they haven't tried before. This fear usually fades away when they hear the magic words "or your money back". Claim marketing knows this phrase very well. The best guarantees come with promises that are more specific than the "100% Satisfaction Guarantee".

One of the online mattress retailers knows this. Knowing that few consumers will buy a mattress without first laying on it, the company offers a 100-day trial. He promises to accept returned mattresses "for whatever reason" and donate them to charity.

The role of research in claim marketing

Carry out a target audience research. If you want to increase the attractiveness of your product or introduce it to a new market, customers may not be able to tell you anything you don't know yet. Therefore, when your claim marketing is to have context, it's best to do a little market research. Start by checking to see if someone has already done the work for you. Review existing reports, check the sample size as well as the methodology and date of publication to ensure the data is still up to date. Such research can also help to refine the types of questions that you may ask in your own market research. It is essential that yours target group understandable message. Whether you want your brand claim to reach millennials with iPhones, 30-40 years of age, or landline-only buyers, you can use market research surveys to gain more clarity on what it is on. the group depends.

Claim marketing also includes checking the competition. Verifying what claims your rivals use can give you an idea of what your potential clients care about. Take a look at both what your competitors are saying and what your competitors are not talking about to see where you can stand out. Remember that the claim should be associated with the brand for longer. It's long term communication strategy. Therefore, it should not define the company here and now, but also create a vision of the brand in the future.

Participation of claim marketing in promoting the brand

Claim Marketing is a general trend referring to the maximum simplification and minimization of messages sent by brands. It is especially preferred by young and aspiring consumers. It allows the brand, with just a few words, to sound appropriately and build a network of associations that will stay with the recipient forever.

Claim builds brand identity. It is around him that other promotional activities are focused and he is the foundation of communication. It is a business card of the company permanently attached to the logotype. When creating it, we must remember that it should be unique enough to distinguish our company from the competition and original enough to attract attention. First of all, it must be credible and cannot evoke negative emotions or associations.

An effective claim inspires further actions, clearly indicating the direction of communication with the market. It helps to capture the whole essence of the brand in one short sentence. It should contain a promise regarding an offer, customer service or added value that will make the customer see our brand in the maze of competitive offers. It is an important element of the brand identification system. It used to be the domain of only large companies and international corporations. Today, its value is also noticed by small enterprises that want to stand out on the market and even compete with giants.

An attractive claim is like a speeding machine that helps the brand reach the recipient's awareness, driving each subsequent promotional campaign. It can also be a drag if it begins to function in a negative context or represents something that should have passed away a long time ago. The value of a claim is determined by the strength of using its potential. Don't know how to do it? PR agency will surely help!