Marketing. Communications.
Marketing: putting your product in the marketplace.
Communications: doing the above so people can understand what you do.

It’s something we do every day – advise clients on how to stand out by standing for something.

Construct cares passionately about the art of communication. Clarity and craft are cornerstones of every effort. Artless communication insults and alienates an audience; it proves that a business cares little about their message (and by implication, their customers).

Exposed to great volumes of all kinds of stuff every day, Average Joe is sophisticated and discriminating in his use and understanding of business communication. With insight honed by a lifetime of messages, he can very quickly decide whether or not to embrace yours.

Rate your last contact with a Web page or a magazine for clarity and craft. Does it speak to the reader? Does it have clarity? Is craft just craftiness? Or does it leave us wondering what to do and why they are wasting our time?

Communication that recognizes the sophistication of an audience will succeed, but does business see the true value? Some do.

Look again at an overused example like Nike. Everything that the public sees from Nike reflects an unmistakable image and culture. This recognition has extraordinary value in marketing. And not just for retailers. Image and culture create recognition that is extremely important for businesses that sell less tangible goods. Construct works often with businesses not involved in retail or manufacturing.

Our most-repeated recommendation is the necessity of creating a brand. Everything is part of an integrated whole. From the business card to the brochure, the Web presence to internal forms and the voice on the telephone, everything creates an image of the organization. The customer (whoever they may be) is more than ever likely to equate image and impression directly with your organization.

The branding image of an organization must have deep foundations that demonstrate your position in the marketplace and show that you care about your product, your service, your clients and customers. Missing pieces are indications that an organization does not attend to details.

Should corporate communication be art? Yes, by all means it should be artful – but not artsy, cute, decorated, fluff. Art as substance. The kind of thing that people look at and say “Ah, yes, I understand” and mean it, because we care enough to speak to them.

We care enough to make something that works. Put every part of your corporate communication to work at reinforcing your image and culture. Don’t underestimate the ability of clients to recognize that you care about your brand.