Product Launch Perfection – Promoting the Pitch

 Product Launch Perfection – Promoting the Pitch

“Nicky, did I ever tell you how I could have been Mr. Universe?” my grandpa used to tell me, “You know Nicky, when I was your age, I could do more pull-ups with one arm then you have hair on your head.” Every summer my grandpa would tell us the same story about how he defeated polio through his extreme persistence and willpower, making him the bear of a man that he now. His stories taught me a lot about resilience, but also about how to create a great product launch pitch.

Every pitch within a company while a project is developing and when it is externally launched to the general market, follow the same elements of: clear, connected, catchy. If you are pitching an idea or product, your product’s story must grab the audience, hook them with the lead and keep them engaged.

Clear:

“I can take a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull’s a**, but I’d rather take a butcher’s word for it,” Tommy Callahan (Tommy Boy, Chris Farley, 1995).

As effectively defined in Tommy Boy, a target audience needs to be told what you offer and in the most efficient manner. The first step in creating a great product launch pitch is being able to effectively and efficiently convey the product message to the target audience. If you cannot describe your product in 1-2 sentences, you better go back to the drawing board. Having your product be understandable is critical for mass attraction. Not having a concise product statement can cause the product to fail by leaving the product in limbo through ambiguity, lack of consumer education or lack of target market.

McDonald’s introduced the McCafe Real Fruit Smoothies in 2010 with great consumer response, boosting global store sales 7% year over year. The product message had a large impact on the success of the new offering, as it targeted a growing segment of society with its “Cheap, Sweet Indulgences.” This simple message was conveyed in every promotion for the product. McDonalds leveraged the accessibility of the target market and expanded the current product marketing to engage a more changing, but targeted audience. Knowing the existing market largely lied with Starbucks, they targeted similar product offering, but greater value, summarized by the product message.

Connected:

"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino", Joe Fox (You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks, 1998).

Business knowledge can derive from the most unlikely source – a chick flick – where a great example of connected product promotion.  As described by Tom Hanks, your product message must create a connection and be connected to be fully embraced by your target audience. A great product message pitch not only solves a targeted problem for the consumer, but your story must be interesting, impactful, and have a clear resolution which leaves you wanting more. Every great business pitch needs to follow the same framework as any great narrative, as how you tell the story will dictate if you move forward or have a successful product launch. There can be no plot gaps in your story.

In the book Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath propose that for an idea or story to stick it must be Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories (SUCCESs). Simple: The message must clearly highlight the necessary features and differentiators to entice consumers. Unexpected: Attention must be attracted to your product in a way which engages curiosity and reinforces the core product launch pitch. Concrete: Use specific product examples which created great successful results, specifically addressing the target message. Emotional: Creating a personal connection is made when you are presenting the solution to a specific issue of the consumer. Stories: People want to be actively involved in the message which is done through a single, pointed message.

Catchy:

Emotional and Stories, the last two points of SUCCESs, create the third pillar for product launch making your launch emotional. You may not get your target audience to have an epiphany, falling to their knees sobbing uncontrollably and yelling your praises, but your story should sell some dream, fix some heartache, and connect to the audience.

The three most effective, inspirational story structures for product launches are: Challenge (David vs. Goliath competition), Connection (develop personal relationship), or Creativity (MacGyver solution). Upon using the SUCCESs framework effectively for your products, you will create a memorable, lasting impression with your consumers.

In writing your product launch story you must start with yourself. Your story starts by knowing your core skills set and what you bring to the table. In the 2008 Pixar movie Wall-E, Wall-E knew it was only one, tiny garbage-collecting robot on a big planet of garbage. Building the story is effectively sharing the dream and end goal of what can one day be reality. For Wall-E, he dreamed of interaction, other worlds and a connection, but he was stuck on his lonely planet. In the pursuit of that dream one must share a single, consistent and pure vision to captivate the audience and bring them along on the journey. After introducing where you started and where you are going, one must create excitement of where you are now. Wall-E finds his first connection and suffers trials and tribulations to keep his dream alive, facing unforeseen obstacles. Last, sharing the success of how this product developed, changed results, pushed boundaries, created efficiencies and solved problems creates the rising action and climax for your story. It must engage the audience, entertain thoughts. You want the audience to think how the product can solve their problem, how their job, how life would be worse off if the product didn’t exist, and how the consumer could create results/influence others through the use of the product. An audience couldn’t handle if Wall-E remained alone, if he was defeated in his endeavors or if he lost his defining vision, as a personal connection had been made throughout the story. Just like the product launch message, you want your audience to root for your success and be a part of your success as it will be a launching point of your own success.

In creating a clear, connected, catchy story a product message can push products towards success. If implemented correctly a product message pushes the status quo of your product lines, further defining your starting point and hopefully enhancing your original benchmark, the customer wanting you to come back again and again.

Like anyone who has heard a good story, you keep coming back – wanting more. I keep going back to see my grandpa looking for his next great story, next example of heroism, next tale of adventure. He looks at me, “Nicky, did I ever tell you the story of how I was gored by a rhino?”

-thePonderingNick