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The power of the “key message” in communications cannot be stressed enough.
It is always a client-agency debate when it comes to this; clients almost always want to say more than one thing in every piece of communication.
In the thick of the COVID-19 crisis, two speeches stood out as remarkable examples of the KM power. It is worth mentioning that both leaders had their own close encounters with the virus.
The speeches by Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau were intended to achieve one thing and one thing only (KM): instill hope. Both showed how effective it was to focus on one thing and how creative this allowed one to be.
With the absence of distractions – usually present because the politician (client) wants to include a campaign message, an economic success story, or even a dig at a rival – both the addresses were highly effective; press reviews labeled them “powerful”, “heart-felt”, and “confident”.
This sort of PR impact is what politicians (clients) crave but often fail to achieve because they refuse to give-in to the power of the key message.
Brands should remind themselves that this power can be on their side whenever they create briefs. The less add-on messages, the better the outcome of the work will be.
Always focus on delivering a powerful key message. If you do that properly, your audience will reward your efforts by digging into more details through your existing assets.
A key message is a flashy muscle car that turns heads and can reach its destination with unapologetic speed; add one more message to it and you’ll end up with a nondescript sedan.
