Strategic storytelling
Claude Hopkins, one of the most influential marketers who shaped the field of advertising in the 20th century, provides designers with a roadmap for using improved design processes to create customer experiences that boost sales.
When Hopkins analyzed the ad campaign that brought Schlitz beer from fifth to first place, he identified what made his strategy so successful. By telling consumers a story about how the brewing company used the latest innovations in science and technology, he showed them exactly how the company created the best product for them.
What made that story work was not that it was unique; Schlitz followed the same business processes as many other breweries. Instead, Hopkins simply retold the same story all beer companies were selling at the time—their beer was pure—and transformed it. He focused consumers not just on the results, but also on the value of the technology behind Schlitz’s business processes. Hopkins did not merely say, “Schlitz beer was pure,” he offered consumers a detailed look at each careful step the company took to ensure the beer really was pure.
Deliverable results
From 3D design software to Internet marketing apps, quote estimating software to social media management apps, there are digital solutions developed and marketed to meet a seemingly endless list of needs.
Of course, some of these “solutions” are the equivalent of Rube Goldberg machines. Instead of streamlining the design process, these solutions approach straightforward tasks in a needlessly complicated manner which do not solve client problems, nor improve a design process.
Truly leveraging technology in ways that improve design and business procedures, while also creating incredible customer experiences, means finding the right software and processes.
There are three primary areas where designers can leverage technology to achieve the best possible results: during the design process, when communicating with clients, and when collaborating with complex teams.
