Good marketing communications is much more than telling people about your product or service. Consumers are exposed to thousands of those messages every day. Could they possibly remember that much information? Why would they want to?

"Breakthrough" happens not when an advertiser breaks out of the plethora of messages, but when the consumer breaks into the message because he or she sees something meaningful or relevant.

That's why you have to understand your target audience. Not from your perspective. From theirs. You have to look at the world through their eyes to know exactly what void you can fill in their lives. Then you must discover the one piece of information that will get their attention—the one thing that will be a clear signal in the endless barrage of static. And you have to deliver that information in a way that sparks an emotion: makes them laugh, or smile, or frown, or cry. When you touch their hearts, you get their attention.

The only way to do that is to match a brand insight to a consumer insight and hit the customer's sweet spot. Huh? In plain English, you have to match the most intriguing aspect of your brand to the consumer's most compelling need for it. And boom, you have a sale.

Years ago, when many companies were selling tennis shoes, Nike discovered a consumer insight. They learned that people didn't buy shoes, they bought that sense of athleticism and power and strength that all humans crave. Nike went from selling shoes to selling victory.

Think about it, the persuasiveness of an ad is under the consumer's control, not the advertiser's. Any company that simply tries to out-yell the competition is wasting their breath, and their money.