Making the new familiar...

“Making the new familiar and the familiar new”.

 According to Stephen Fry this is a definition of poetry, but it’s also absolutely true of good marketing.

A new product, organisation or service will each be an unknown quantity. What are its strengths and benefits? What reputation does it bring with it? And, the big question, why should I use it?
The unfamiliar organisation or service or, indeed, situation makes us less likely to feel comfortable.
And feeling comfortable makes relationships easier with more potential to grow.

Marketing has the responsibility to create that sense of comfort, to make something new have a sense of familiarity to us. That may be partially achieved through sheer repetition and frequency of exposure.  If, however, we want to achieve something more than name recognition, to become “familiar” with the character and characteristics of something then more is required.  There’s a need to link with the preferences and priorities of the audience and to identify with them.  A classic marketing approach of communicating your relevance and how you can provide help to fill a need or improve life in whatever aspect. In this way you build the link, and become part of the environment that your potential user inhabits. You become familiar to them.

What about making the familiar new? Again the intention should be to develop relationships. In this case existing ones. It’s about getting people to look at you again, possibly in a new light and to reinvigorate the links you have with them.
If an organisation has been around for some time and has fallen into a rut, a relaunch can provide the best opportunity to turn things around.  Possibly the competition from elsewhere has grown – I’ve helped several schools who are feeling the pressure from Academies or schools that have new build facilities.  Don’t be taken for granted, re-establish yourself in a new light. Exploit the relationships that you already have but give people a new insight and appreciation of what you have to offer.

It may not be poetry, but it does scan for common sense.

Posted on: 31st July 2011 in

We want an inspiring Head who can lead with vision and raise standards, say schools

The identikit of a desirable headteacher is one who is an inspirational and visionary leader, and with the ability to improve a school’s standards.

That’s the finding of a study into what are the characteristics and attributes schools looked for in a new headteacher, and what the priorities for the job are.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of ads identified Leadership Skills, slightly more than Inspirational ones (60%). Just over half (51%) wanted heads to focus on school improvement, and 46% said they were looking for someone with Vision.

Read more ...