5: Circumstantial Relevance
In a previous chapter, Coville mentioned that relevance may be found in the content of a message, the context in which it is received, and the source from which it is received - this chapter will go a bit more in depth on each.
Content
The content of a communication - words, images, video, and so on - are the primary vehicle by which brands attempt to communicate their relevance to an audience.
That's not to say that the audience does not receive content from other sources: if the brand is mentioned in the news, or in social media, or by a person someone knows, or if they see the product in the store, these are all brand messages the maker didn't send, but which they received anyway, and becomes part of their perception of the brand.
Content spans the four areas that the author mentioned previously:
- Thinking - The content of the message, as perceived rationally
- Sensory - The quality of the sensory experience of the message
- Values - How the message corresponds to or conflicts with their beliefs
- Community - Any testimonials or endorsements provided, alogn with what they believe their peers might think of the brand
Content is perishable in the mind of the receiver. Generally, messages that were received recently are remembered more often and more accurately than those in the distant past, which may be forgotten or distorted.
Effective content is created with the audience in mind. While your goal is to create a positive impression, the degree to which the audience will give attention to the message depends on how closely it agrees with their existing perceptions, or whether it speaks to their existing interests. This can be a particularly problem when using advertising agencies, who present a message that is very flattering to the client who paid them to develop the message, but which fails to resound with the actual audience. (EN: It's also a problem internally, in attempting to please executives and project sponsors rather than considering the real audience.)
Coville mentions that content is "more than words," by which she means that the literal interpretation of a message is only one component of communication. The choice of words and overall tone of a message creates an impression: if you are being too casual about a subject the audience takes seriously, or too dramatic about something they take lightly, the message will be dismissed as irrelevant and perhaps irritating or offensive.
She also cautions about presumptions, citing an example of "one bank" that created an event to gain the business of millionaires - a very posh event with champagne and caviar, a string quartet, and waiters in tuxedoes. The problem is that most millionaires are very plain and frugal people who dislike ostentation (they became millionaires by spending responsibly and saving their money) and who were very offended by the event, as it suggested the bank was wasteful with money.
(EN: This is an amusing and plausible anecdote, but its authenticity is highly suspect.)
Context
Context pertains to the environment in which the recipient receives a message. It pertains to the physical environment in which they are situated, and the frame of mind they are in, both of which influence their receptiveness to and interpretation of the content. Considering context means being attentive not only to reaching the appropriate person, but reaching them at the appropriate time and place as well as in the appropriate state of mind that will cause them to regard the message as meaningful to them, hence worth paying attention to.
In the simplest sense, context considers the placement of the recipient. An individual's receptiveness differs if they are in the quiet space of their office or walking down a noisy street, whether they are in a business meeting or watching a baseball game in a stadium.
Context can be relative in some instances - people are less likely to be interested in events or locations on the other side of town. (EN: The inconvenience of travel is sometimes a factor, but when there is sufficient value it is less influential - they will undertake the inconvenience.)
Context also pertains to the mental an emotional state of the receiver. It's fairly well-know that a person who is in a bad mood is less likely to listen to a proposal, even one that benefits him. At the moment, his mood causes him to reconsider what is relevant (generally, whatever incident put him in the mood).
Context can also pertain to the context of their lives: a married person with children is in a different context than a single person, or someone recently divorced or widowed. Instances in which a person's status changes in a significant way are called "life events" and cause them to re-evaluate their priorities and reconsider what is relevant. Consider the number of firms that attempt to target college freshmen, college graduates, people who recently purchased a house, new parents, and others whose change in context makes them open to suggestion about what might be relevant to their new situation.
In the present day, context has a lot to do with personal identity. "People are more than one thing" and assume different personalities in different contexts. There has long been the schism between personal and private life, in which a person who is hard-nosed and emotionless in the office is very relaxed and personable at home. We adopt different personas with different groups of people, and different things seem relevant to us in our role as a professional, a parent, a drinking buddy, a skier, and whatever else we may consider ourselves to be at different times, in different locations, and with different groups.
This is largely the reason event marketing can be hit-or-miss. A rock concert or a football game might be attractive to the exact people you wish to reach, but when they are attending the event, the context makes them less likely to consider the relevance of a brand to other contexts in which they may find themselves.
Source
The final element that has a strong influence on the perception of a message's relevance is its source. In personal communication (or advertising featuring a person), the recipient considers the qualities of the individual who delivers the message. We more readily accept medical advice from someone who is a surgeon than we would from an accountant, and tax advice from an accountant more readily than if it came from a surgeon.
(EN: The same applies to companies and channels. Brands who extend outside their perceived area of competence are often disregarded, and people are more receptive to messages of a specific kind when delivered through a specific channel.)
Some random thoughts:
- Personal relationships have the strongest context: we more readily give attention to family, friends, colleagues, and others whom we know.
- People also intend to identify with groups. Anyone who is or was in the military grants immediate esteem to someone else who is in the military as well. Professors are inclined to respect other academics. This is particularly true of stigmatized groups, such as gays and lesbians.
- Similarity is significant, as it's been found that people are more attentive to others they perceive to be like themselves - more receptive to a person who is of the same age, gender, race, religion. etc. (regardless of group affiliation)
- Admiration is also significant, in that people will pay attention to others whom they respect, particularly when they are role models (i.e., the admired person represents someone the audience would like to become more like)