It is common for a brand born from a purpose, a desire, or an idea to begin by imagining who it is meant for — its target audience. That said, it is true that Marketing has evolved greatly in recent years and has helped address some of the strategic shortcomings that many brands and companies had until then. However, there is still a recurring tendency to always want to communicate excellence, luxury, expense, and elegance, even when that is not what the audience is looking for.

Very often, brands end up building communication that is closer to what they would like to represent than to what actually makes sense for the people who consume their products or services. This discrepancy can create distance between the brand and its audience, making the message less effective.

You need to communicate with the audience that consumes what you sell. Let us take the retail market, for example: everyone shops for groceries. Whether monthly, weekly, or even daily, these purchases are part of most people’s routine. For the vast majority of the population, cost is the main purchasing decision factor. With this information in mind, it is in the interest of companies operating in this market for their communication to be easily identifiable, user-friendly, and focused on price, promotions, and ease of understanding the offer.

It would make little sense for a large retail company to start communicating in black and white, with art photography and grotesque typefaces… in a Christmas flyer. Although it might result in a visually interesting or even artistically relevant piece, it would hardly fulfill its main objective: to communicate purchasing opportunities clearly and immediately to the consumer.

This is not to say that all companies working with a particular audience must have indistinguishable communication from one another, or that they should all follow exactly the same visual standards. However, for that communication to succeed, it is essential to work with elements that are recognizable, clear, and easily identifiable by the audience in question, thus ensuring that the message reaches effectively those who really matter.

To conclude:

• Align your tone of voice, aesthetic, and message with what your audience truly wants and values.
• Strive to know your target audience and use that knowledge to define the strategic foundation of all communication.
• Prioritize clarity, simplicity, and immediate recognition.
• Ensure visual consistency without compromising the message.
• Avoid communicating solely based on an aspirational image that is disconnected from the reality of your audience.
• Move away from visual or conceptual approaches that make understanding more difficult.
• Do not sacrifice communication effectiveness for the sake of an unsuitable aesthetic.
• Avoid creating distance between the brand and the consumer by ignoring their real needs.