The Five-Second Brand

By Peter Dunn Friday, December 18, 2009

Gen Y is said to have the attention span of a gnat. Having never studied the attentiveness of gnats, let's all agree that this means that Gen Y is easily distracted. They (we) are distracted away from your brand, and they (we) are distracted towards your brand. But how can you make sure that your brand is flypaper and your followers are flies?
The solution: a five-second brand. For example, the average Gen Yer lives life buried in a mobile device. Therefore, your five-second brand must resonate on this emerging platform. Can your message be conveyed across a Droid or iPhone? If you are trying to reach Gen Y, then it better. Gen Y is the generation that never had to deal with a dial-up connection; they aren't going to tolerate a brand that takes 30 seconds to explain. The five-second brand is all about meeting your audience half-way.
So, how do you make your brand shine in just five seconds? Here are three sure-fire ways to get your brand noticed by Gen Y in that time frame.
1.Authentic There is no more annoying and cliché concept in marketing than authenticity. However, it's still a misunderstood concept that people misplay. Authenticity has nothing to do with test groups or tracking. Authenticity is like having 11 toes. You either have it, or you don't. Authenticity is your ability to let your brand's true personality shine through the messaging.
2.Inviting Your audience needs to feel like they can interact with your brand. Gen Y hates being told what to do. A brand that offers open dialogue is a brand that isn't easily dismissed by a distracted Gen Yer. I'm not talking about the suggestion box mentality either. Gen Y expects to see their name alongside of your brand. You need to go far enough to literally include members of your audience in your brand.
3.Casual The business suit of Gen Y is jeans. Even formal industries see the importance of casualness when targeting Gen Y. The funny thing is that Gen Y doesn't find their jeans to be casual. It's just how they are, which brings us back to authenticity.
Look deep within your brand and try to objectively evaluate its position in your marketing. You can't fake these things, but you can dig deep and discover the true voice of your brand. Can you get the job in five seconds? If not, then you have a lot of work to do.