This is the first in a series of four articles - outlining step-by-step, sequential and successful approaches to measurable results for your brand, it's market reach, and your company profits...

In most every case, with every client I reach a point early in the exploratory conversations where I need to explain the differences in goals and roles between advertising, marketing, and sales before I can move on to the 'why' answers.

Marketing is knowing what the market desires, advertising tells them what they want to hear and is the 'bait' that is used for getting the awareness and calls for sales (whom has the sole job of 'getting the signature or closing the sale'). 

Most people confuse the goals and roles and that leads to even more confusion when we try to create a 'total integrated success plan'.

Terminology is important before conversations are to be had, so now that is out of the way - let's talk.

The biggest, brightest, an most expensive companies in the world have proven track records and proven results based on years of strong research into marketing motivation and results.

For Over 100 years these people have done the hard work - McCann Erickson is a global advertising agency network, with offices in more than 130 countries. McCann is a subsidiary of the Interpublic Group of Companies, one of the four large holding companies in the advertising industry.

In my Masters in Media Communications (Webster University, St. Louis) along with my 25 years of working relationships with clients in creative, I have developed the 'succinct-success'  model I use at KTLLC Communications.

It is the same one for every client from a new start-up to a $20m dollar client follows this pattern in the exact same sequence. You see, we are looking for measurable results and it has be proven that the order follows the same in every case.

Below are a series of seven questions - always answer these questions before the last step, which is begin to create a tone to the advertising. When the answer is not clearly successful to get you the measurable results you want, go back and begin again until this is completed correctly.

Don't move on or skip any question in the sequence - or the results will be minimized somewhere along the results and measurement process.

1. Who is the target audience?
2. Where are we now in their mind?
3. Where is our competition in their mind?
4. Where would we like to be in their mind?
5. What is the promise, “the big idea?”
6. What is the supporting evidence?
7. What is the tone or voice of for advertising?

In the next article I will talk about next steps how 'Foote, Cone and Belding' created a model that we will build our next steps upon towards design. As always, please feel free to email directly with questions or comments.

For your success,

Keith Thorn
KTLLC Communications