Marketing More Than a Pretty Face

Wanted: Male. Age 25-37. Must have dreamy eyes, visible muscles, scruffy yet styled hair (including facial) and be easy on the eyes. Articulate a plus.

Sound familiar? No, this is not a personal ad from Sunday’s paper or an excerpt from an online dating profile. Instead, consider this the description of the Brawny Man (Brawny Paper Towels), Brad Pitt (Chanel No. 5), or my favorite – The Marlboro Man (Marlboro Cigarettes) — all the typical, attractive “man’s man” spokesmodels who make you look twice at the products they endorse (or used to be allowed to endorse).

But is a good looking model all it takes to successfully market a product? Let me put it this way: Does Brawny return to its shtick because consumers are drawn to the lumberjack, or is it the use of tongue-in-cheek humor that has us hankering for absorbent paper products? Old Spice is another example. While former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa is certainly easy on the eyes, it’s his hilarious expressions and deadpan delivery that have most people talking about the brand’s deodorant and body spray.

While attractiveness certainly plays a role in gaining consumer attention and trust (as numerous studies suggest), I’d argue that the most successful brands have a more sophisticated strategy at play. While on a recent commercial shoot for Brambleton — a community we work with in Loudon County — our spokesmodel Brett Tutor put this theory to the test.

We began by putting ourselves in the mindset of Brambleton’s potential lifestyle buyer. In this case, our target audience was families, and specifically mothers with young children. As with any successful content strategy, we start by asking what our target market wants to see. The answer was simple: They want to see their kids grow up in a place where they are safe, supported and having fun.

Brett certainly catches your eye in this commercial, but not in the way you might expect. In fact, it’s the tulle and tutu that make you look closer — and discover he’s prancing around a ballet class with a set of squealing five-year-olds. This vision is funny, sure, and we’ve already established that good looks never hurt, but this commercial resonates because it paints the picture for our target market and allows them to tangibly see the life they’ve envisioned.

The conclusion: Impactful marketing takes more than a well-worn flannel shirt (or an illogicial monologue — I’m looking at you, Brad Pitt). Appearances will only go so far. On the other hand, there’s a lot of power in the spokesmodel that makes you believe — believe that’s your daughter dancing with him, believe that you’re the smiling parent in the background, and believe that could be living in this community. That “believe” is priceless.