The IC3 Blue Train - A little journal about design, marketing, sales and other matters

A tribute to Giuseppe Verdi           

Picture from the Wikimedia Commons, a freely licensed media file repositoryPeople often ask me to define marketing. A couple of years ago, I would have embarked on elaborate definitions like this one. Today I simply reply that marketing is about one single word, dear to most opera aficionados: AIDA.

A is for Attention – The marketer’s enemy #1 is indifference.  So, his/her first job is to get the attention of the audience; to make the product or company stand out from the crowd, from the raging noise of the marketplace. There are as many ways to achieve this as there are different kinds of businesses. Bold advertising is just one of the possible answers. Cynics say that there is no bad publicity, but just publicity. The key is to get noticed.

I is for Interest – Once you have gained the punter’s attention, your challenge is to engage your prey into wanting to know more. Remember that you are one quick click away from oblivion. You have to present simple, crisp and clear information about your offer to entice your prospect to further explore, to dive into increasing details that give him a compelling reason to complete the search.

D is for Desire (or Decision in ‘serious’ business ;-) – If you raise your future customer’s interest to a sufficient level, you create her eagerness to own your product or to buy your service. Win the battle of the mind by triggering her reason, motivations and emotions with meaningful arguments.

A is for Action – The final step is the drive your catch to act and to part with his cash. You have to make the transaction as easy and pleasant as possible. Multiple options. Excellent service. Flawless. Straightforward. Fun. Remember that the Internet’s inferno is full of abandoned shopping carts; you don’t want to be part of that, right?

AIDA: one little four-letter word speaking for many years of experience.