One Message Does Not Fit All

One might assume that within one industry, marketing and communications gameplans are all very similar. That’s simply not the case. As a tweet from one of my favorite marketing minds Jay Baer highlighted yesterday: “Context is King”.

As you may or may not know, I’ve been on a slow relocation trip across the west and south as my family and I move back home to Vermont. I’ve been delivering marketing services for RV parks along the way for compensation and trade. What’s interesting is that they all need a different message communicated, but they don’t always know it at first. Sure they are going after similar customers in the same industry, but the more important factor is the current state of their marketing and marketplace. The “context” in which they do business is paramount.

If someone comes to you with the golden goose that’s sweeping the globe, without having listened to your needs, history, resources and expectations, then it’s safe to kick them to the curb. One size fits all is a sure route to disappointment. The best marketers and the best messages orginate from understanding, conversation and teamwork. Listen, think, research, discuss, then go to market. Odds are you’ll do it in a way that is uniquely your own, which is what your audience craves.

RV Parks in Napa, Pismo Beach, Malibu, San Diego and now Tucson have all had very similar operations, with very different communications needs once we pulled back the layers of their marketplace. Tucson is the land of the over age 55 mega park. However, Adventure Bound Cactus Country aims to be (and is) welcoming to all ages and southwestern themed with a laid back atmospthere. This is headed for their website shortly.