Message Testing: Time to checkout the message

We’ve all been there – stuck in the queue at the checkout having only popped in for a pint of milk and now getting arm ache by a basket laden with goods you didn’t know you needed. Supermarket shopping is a national pastime in the UK. Hundreds and thousands of us slavishly arrive at these temples to gastronomy every week in order to fill our trolleys to the brim. Food is big business and now that we are up and running in 2013, analysts will be carefully looking at the figures revealed by the major supermarket chains to see how well they fared in the six weeks up to 30 December.

Last week Morrisons were the first to show their hand and unfortunately for them their figures are quoted as being ‘disappointing’. I’m sure great analysis will now be done by the senior team to see what went wrong. However more interestingly, their chief executive Dalton Phillips is quoted as saying;

“We do so much more than anyone else and we aren’t getting our message across.”

Aha! There you have the mantra that is chanted again and again in comms teams around the globe – always get the right message across. If your audience isn’t getting the difference between you and your competitors then it’s time for a rethink.

This is why we are seeing a rise in popularity of our message testing courses here at Media First. Being able to sound out your carefully crafted message to see whether it really will attract the attentions of the media, and engage your audience, is extremely useful. Your spokespeople can practice in a safe environment to see whether the key objective to your campaign or project is being achieved. If you’ve invested a great deal of time and effort working up and then fine tuning your messages, it makes sense to test them out as vigorously as possible prior to releasing them in the real world.

No doubt in the coming months more results will be announced as we head towards the end of the financial year. Whether the news is good or bad it’s all about how the information is delivered. Lack of clarity or consistency in the message can seriously damage a companies reputation. However, on the flip side with a bit of planning, preparation and practice for your senior spokespeople the forthcoming financial results round should be a little less stressful.

If all else fails you can always try a bit of supermarket therapy!

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