DSM 3/30 Messaging

CASE STUDY

Client: DSM Animal Nutrition and Health

Product: DSM specialty product brands

Objective: Make DSM specialty product messages easier to say and easier to remember.

Challenge: DSM reps have limited time with their customers, and DSM marketing is often challenged with limited opportunities to reach their customers with necessary frequency. Therefore, simplicity and clarity of message are critical.

DSM specialty products lacked a consistent format and platform for their messaging to make their messages clear, compelling and concise.

Solution: DMG Communication used its “3/30” message platform to build product messages for each specialty brand. The platform is based on the following fundamentals:

  • A shrinking attention span (for all people), combined with crowded product categories (no customer has enough headspace to keep all of the competitive product messages straight!).
  • The rule of threes. Messages that come in threes have been used for centuries in stories and slogans and readers/listeners are more likely to consume and remember the information if it’s written in threes.
    • Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; Truth, justice and the American way
    • The three pigs; Three blind mice; Three wise men
    • Blood, sweat and tears; Sex, drugs and rock and roll; Higher, faster, stronger
  • Limited time. Reps sometimes only have a few seconds to pique their customers’ interest and get to a more in-depth conversation. Therefore, we need messages tailored for the amount of time we have with a customer. Hence “3/30.”
    • The “3”: Three second message. What do you say about your product when you only have a moment in an elevator or hallway? What’s your headline to get your customers interested and wanting to learn more?
    • The “30”: Thirty second message. What are the three things you want your customer to remember about your product? What is key to getting your customer to take the next step?

Deliverables and outcomes

  • Message inventory completed by sales, marketing and technical teams
  • Message evaluation based on customer insights
  • Development of “3/30” message platform and three-prong graphic
  • Testing of platform and graphic with sales, marketing and technical teams
  • Foundational “3/30” presentation to cement messages, support and references