FOCUS | ISSUE 6 | 2010
Where’s the beef?
I CAN’T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING.
It’s the real thing. I’M LOVIN’ IT.
Let your fi ngers do the walking.
Are any of these phrases familiar to you? All of these are marketing campaign phrases designed to get your attention. Some marketing phrases use humor, some use word play, some connect with our common experiences, but all try to connect with you—personally. Why do corporations spend millions of dollars on getting these phrases in media?
Corporations spend millions of dollars on otherwise trite phrases because they know that their product is purchased on emo- tion and on desire, not logic. Logic may be used secondarily for justifi cation after the emotional decision is made, but the magic of the emotion of the phrase is what wins the consumer.
Professional organizations are using the tools of marketing. Another ADA, the Ameri- can Dairy Association, effectively used the phrase “Got Milk” to generically market their product. A good marketing cam- paign can be used to develop the image and reputation of a profession.
Good marketing campaigns use power phrases like “I’m lovin’ it” (McDonalds) to elicit an emotional response in your mind without drawing attention to the
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Plop! Plop! Fizz, Fizz Got Milk?
actual words. Your response is the desire to have the product or service. When presented with the choice, the emotional remembrance, “It’s the real thing,” causes you to reach for the Coca Cola instead of the Pepsi Cola. When you have an upset stomach after you have eaten the “whole thing,” you remember the “plop, plop, fi zz, fi zz” and reach for the Alka-Seltzer.
Rarely does the phrase name the product or service. However, I bet you remember who the advertiser is when you see the phrase “Let your fi ngers do the walking” (Yellow Pages). With a similar phrase, will our profession get a similar response to “Your mouth is talking”? Will the public remember this phrase when they notice bleeding gums, have a sensitive tooth or when they are diagnosed with diabetes?
So … “Where’s the beef?”(Wendy’s) The “beef” is in the process. The beef comes indirectly from appealing to the emotion of the target. Missouri mothers are the target of our marketing campaign to stimulate how they will feel when they (or their children) have oral health. Mis- souri mothers make the decisions about how and where their families receive dental services. Missouri moms want their children to be pain free, healthy and facially attractive. The seeds of desire for this emotion are planted by the marketing campaign.
No longer is it a straight line from producer to consumer. The consumer is distracted by other competing desires and needs. All know that it is better to have dental health than not to have dental health, but that cognitive recognition does not mean “squat!” One has to appeal to the emotional needs fi rst in today’s marketplace—even on issues of health. This is why a quality marketing campaign benefi ts the whole profession and must be undertaken by “dentistry” instead of individual “dentists.” The expense is shared through a cooperative, the MDA, but the benefi t is enjoyed by the individual branded practitioner.
The MDA made a bold and proactive step in deciding to proceed with the marketing campaign. This is the type of leadership needed in today’s professional landscape that is evolving with the changes in our societal structure. Peter Drucker said it best, ““The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
“Your Mouth Is Talking” is a campaign that will, if adequately funded in the future, sow seeds of desire in the minds of dental consumers, and all members of the promoted “MDA” brand of dentists will benefi t. Congratulations to the 2009 House of Delegates, the Board of Trustees and MDA Staff for having the creativity and fortitude to lead.
Campaign Member Survey
Watch for an upcoming Member Survey on the MDA “Your Mouth Is Talking” public education campaign. It will be sent to members by email in the month of December. If you’re not already receiving email from the MDA, make sure we have your current email address. Send it to
ADMIN@MODENTAL.ORG.
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