Your audience could care less about your product.

It stings a little to hear that, but the sooner we embrace it, the quicker we can relate to people.

Don’t get me wrong. Your features and benefits are awesome. I know they are. But your audience is really smart, a little self-centered, and ignores much of what marketers say.

Steven and the bullet points

There’s a big difference in how we get to know people and how we get to know our brands. To communicate effectively, you have to close the gap a little through storytelling. Let’s explore this difference with a guy I know, Steven. Below are some of the mundane details of his life. Notice how quickly a personality starts to unfold:

• He is 32 and single
• He is looking for a promotion
• He was crushed by the Vikings’ NFC championship loss
• This weekend, he will crack his friends up at a karaoke bar by singing Billy Squier

After learning a few things about Steven, you can start to make a judgment about him, and discern whether he’s your kind of person or not. Now let’s take a look at some typical bullet points for a product:

• It’s easy to use
• It uses the latest technology
• It costs less than the competition

photo by Mykl Roventine: Out & About on Flickr

You get the idea. Based on those bullet points, which of the preceding stories do you want to follow? Steven or the product? If you asked me, I’d go with Steven.

People have an infinite number of things going on that make them different, interesting and likable. Products, however, usually look and sound much like the closest competitor—with one or two points of distinction. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Maybe Steven doesn’t know that your product would make one hell of a prop in his story. We can do that by taking what we’ve learned about him, the culture, the world and your brand, and relating to him.

Maybe if we gave Steven some interesting details of our own, we’d draw him in long enough to realize that your product will save him time and money. Maybe then, he could work up the nerve to ask for that promotion, which would help him afford season tickets for the Vikes next year, or a couple of nights out with friends and Billy Squier.

A great creative team uses creative ideas (sometimes far-out ideas) to tell those stories about your brand—because people like Steven are busy, unconsciously thinking where am I in all of this? Their attention is shifting to their own little story: lunch, the dog, and fantasy football.

Good creative isn’t “fluff” or a devious agency scheme to win awards. A strong concept allows your audience to dream. It helps them relate to your brand and fit it into their life’s narrative. It primes their brain for rewards they seek.

Creativity, and a good story, can tell Steven that you’re his kind of people. It’s powerful stuff if you care to use it.

Phil Hunt is a Flint Group copywriter, and thinks that Steven and the Bullet Points would make a good band name.