The “Betty” Factor?

TheBettyFactor.com is dedicated to recognizing and honoring the best marketing and marketing communications efforts in the world. These are the ads, direct mail pieces, press releases, Websites, brochures (and more) that simply and succinctly communicate the benefits of any product or service and do so with the average consumer in mind.

The Betty Factor?

We define The Betty Factor as any marketing communications message, tactic or campaign that is easily understood by an average consumer, such as Betty Mann, the 80-something year-old mother-in-law of David Politis (a.k.a., Grandma Betty).

Since the 1940s, advertising agencies have been using the term Unique Selling Proposition to describe that one thing/point/message that uniquely defines the benefits of a product or service. Although similar in concept to Unique Selling Propositions, the purpose behind The Betty Factor is more direct: simplify, simplify, simplify.

The two-step process behind The Betty Factor first forces marketers and marketing communications professionals to answer such questions as

• What is this product?
• How does it work?
• How is it different/better than competing products?
• Who will benefit the most from this product?
• Why should a prospective customer care about this product?

With such knowledge in hand, The Betty Factor devotee will then strive to deliver the simplest and most direct marketing message(s) and/or campaign to target audience members. It’s really that simple.

Hence, a disciple of The Betty Factor principle might initially describe a PFO Closure System as “a small medical device used to close a heart defect” before going into greater detail and definition. [DISCLOSURE: The Coherex PFO Closure System(TM) is made by Politis Communications client, Coherex Medical.]

Similarly, a Bluetooth headset might be described as “an earphone/speaker combination wirelessly connected to a phone.”

At the end of the day, Betty Factor-directed communications keep the average consumer in mind and do so without condescending or “speaking down” to such prospective customers.

So welcome to TheBettyFactor.com. And feel free to join in the conversation.

Sincerely,

The Management

P.S. Naturally, we cannot enter into such an endeavor without also identifying what we consider to be the worst examples of marketing and marketing communications - those ads, direct mail pieces, press releases, Websites, brochures (and more) that are confusing, convoluted and contrary to the concept of The Betty Factor. We include these anti-Betty Factor examples for discussion and instruction purposes only.