The Campaign DiamondThe Campaign Diamond

I do my best thinking when I jog.  As I plod along,my mind races.  I solve problems.  Come up with ideas.  And think about the future. 

Last Friday I was jogging six-er-so miles,and my mind traveled to my upcoming wedding anniversary.  It will be our 20th anniversary.  I was pondering where we could celebrate our anniversary —who would take care of our kids —and what gift to get my wife.  She recently mentioned she would like to get her wedding ring reset.  Something more current.  Something more fashionable.  Something that started me thinking about diamonds.

As with many of my runs,my mind skips around.  So one minute I am thinking about diamond settings,the next second I am applying a diamond to an advertising campaign.   The diamond is a simple metaphor.  A metaphor to elegantly blend a brand with a target consumer.  Chiseling away at consumer information to glean actionable insights.  Insights rich in inspiration that lead to campaign ideas.  Campaign ideas that begin as channel agnostic platforms,but then through a deeper cultivation of consumer channel attitudes and behaviors,the campaign comes to life.   This thought process is the genesis of the Campaign Diamond.

Let’s take a step away from my stream of consciousness,and talk through the Campaign Diamond (see the diagram).  The diamond is less about a process and more about an encapsulation of thought —a concept.  

The first goal of the diamond is to balance the consumer and brand.  Many times we as marketers make it all about them,their product,their brand.  Many times the result of this self-centered approach is ineffective ads espousing a litany of “why buys”or features.   Instead,we should be generating a simple,effective connection between brand and consumer.  This is why the brand truth and consumer target are at each point of the diamond.

Connecting the Brand and Consumer
A second goal is an introspective view of the brand and consumer.   This is not about consumer data or information.  It is about actionable insights.  

• Insights about the consumer’s lifestage and lifestyle. 
• Insights on how the target connects with culture from social connections with friends to how they adopt new trends (or not) to their different passion points. 
• Insights about technology and media from how technology enables social connections to using media to keep up on their passions to balancing a life full of priorities.  
• Insights on how the consumer connects with the brand —with the product.  How important is the product in their life —is it a high-consideration purchase?   Is their an emotive connection?  Are they brand loyal?  Secondly,how are they connected to the brand?  

A sub-goal is to determine the brand fit with the consumer’s product relationship.   For example,imagine the consumer who is brand oriented and only purchases brands they deem the best,and our brand is mainstream —not premium.  If we were stereo equipment,it would be the difference between Bose and Pioneer.  If we were looking at computers,it would be the difference between Apple and HP.  You get the idea.   

The campaign idea would connect the brand with the consumer.  Actionable insights would provide the connective tissue and inspiration for brainstorming.  Also,the campaign idea would need to bridge the gap between the brand perception and the consumer’s product relationship.  

Completing the Diamond
 A third goal is completeness of thought of the idea.   To do this we build out the idea through channel consumer insights and channel ideas.  We go from conceptual messaging and experiences to channel specific tactics.  To accomplish this we need various experts to generate ideas in their channels (e.g. broadcast,print,internet,social,retail) —all ideas emanating from the big idea.  Ideas build on the core consumer insights.  Ideas connecting the brand to the consumer.

The elements of the diamond outlined here are not new.  The Campaign Diamond may be novel —or not.  It is not why I decided to write about it.  My goal was to present a metaphor that is an objective guide to the core elements of an advertising campaign.  In my experience we pick and choose the elements to include based on perspective,personal biases,and/or organizational dysfunctionality.  Hopefully if you use the Campaign Diamond,you will end up with a gem of a campaign.