In my report “The 8 Levels of Consumer Awareness Around Organic,” I wrote about the necessity of tailoring your content to people at multiple levels of awareness… not just to the smart ones.
This means you make your message accessible to ALL levels of awareness — not just those who are super savvy and/or highly educated about your topic.
Cater directly to people who are totally unaware AKA clueless about your message, who need it simplified AF.
The following GQ Magazine video illustrates perfectly what I’m talking about.
In it, two famous musicians, Diplo and 2 Chainz, are listening to a convoluted speech about water. Eventually, they get to taste some diamond-capped water that costs $100K per bottle…and ultimately decide it’s not worth the price.
I love this video for two reasons. First of all, Diplo is hilarious – and happens to be a genius electronic dance music (EDM) producer, of which I’m a fan. (I’m also an amateur EDM producer myself.)
Secondly, I love how the video pokes fun at the confusing nature of the presentation. The speaker drones on about the “total dissolved solids” (TDS) found in some brands of bottled water.
You see the blank looks on Diplo and 2 Chainz’s faces…
You hear crickets in the background… (Translation: “Huh?”)
Later you hear the almost silly comments they give in response to the presentation. (“Tastes like fruit…kinda,” says Diplo after tasting the $100K bottled water.)
Pay very close attention: their responses actually indicate the same level of awareness and thinking present in most people when they stumble upon your business.
The look on their faces: “Huh?” explains it all. The deeper message about water flies right over their heads.
When it comes to water, these two musicians are at level #1 of consumer awareness – Unaware. (Read my full report to learn about all 8 levels of consumer awareness.)
Regardless of your industry, level #1 is exactly who you want to cater your content and anti-marketing messages to. Doesn’t matter if you sell water, organic produce, organic snacks, chocolates, supplements, natural medicine, coaching, or anything else…
If Diplo and 2 Chainz can’t understand what you’re saying, then chances are your message is too complicated for the average person.
In the video above, the presentation was obviously catered to someone who is already educated about water. For example, I know exactly what “total dissolved solids” (TDS) are – because I’ve done some research on it. I know that the quality and taste of water is entirely dependent on what’s present — or not present — in the water. In the case of bottled water, some companies intentionally add extra minerals to change the taste. However, the most “purist” of water lovers would probably believe that NOTHING belongs in water, other than water. The content of the presentation made sense to me.
While Diplo is a genius at producing electronic dance music, as you can see in this video, he’s pretty clueless about the water-making process — as are most people.
Unless they’ve already taken the time to thoroughly educate themselves about water, most people are at level #1 – unaware.
So you must assume they know nothing and make your content super simple and easy-to-understand.
A company selling high-quality bottled water, high-quality water filters, or related products would do well to come up with creative ways to simplify their message. You’re dumbing it down but keeping it insightful.
I know this sounds counterintuitive, but it works.
I’ve seen the proof in the form of my clients’ skyrocketing sales.
When my clients dumb down their message, they sell more.
When they insist on keeping their message convoluted and complex…they don’t sell.
It’s that simple.
Not coincidentally, at the end of the video 2 Chainz says he’ll stick with his “motherfucking Aquafina, Fiji, and Smart Water.” Translation: he wasn’t sold on the idea of $100K water. The value wasn’t clearly communicated to him.
What’s the lesson we can learn from this?
The best anti-marketing comes from simple, even “dumb” language that requires almost zero intellectual capacity to process.
And THAT kind of language takes a lot of work and effort to create.
E.F. Schumacher said: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius…and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 