SBR 63: Comms Strategy Blueprint: Hierarchy, Planning, Messaging
A great product alone cannot guarantee attention. Growth comes from delivering the right message, in the right place, at the right moment. Three tools work together to achieve this outcome: a comms hierarchy, a focused comms plan and a balanced messaging strategy. And here’s a link to some of the templates we’ve used over the years to help get this right.
Why a Unified Comms Strategy Matters
It supports brand building and sales activation in the proven 60:40 ratio.
It blends emotional and functional messages to guide decisions.
It matches each stage of the purchase funnel so audiences move smoothly from awareness to action.
1. Comms Hierarchy: First Things First
A comms hierarchy orders your messages so every channel tells a consistent story. Giving your audience less message clutter, so the most important point sticks. We wrote about the importance of single minded messaging and the difficulty of achieving that here.
How to Build It
Primary message. This is the core proposition, the single takeaway that sums up your unique value.
Example: “One hundred percent natural, plant based energy for active lifestyles.”
Secondary messages. These are the proof points that add credibility. You only use these if you need to. To check whether you need to use a secondary “Reason to Believe” ask yourself this question: “can our audience reasonably believe that our product is 100% natural plant based energy for active lifesyles”? If the answer is no, then you need a second, RTB.
Example: “Certified organic”, “Ninety nine percent customer satisfaction”, “Featured in Forbes.”
When every asset follows this structure the brand narrative stays clear and persuasive. A great example is Dove soap. They used to talk about made with one quarter moisturising cream as an RTB for the fact it doesn’t dry your skin. They no longer need to use that line because they’ve been consistent with their messaging over decades.
2. Comms Planning: Align Media, Moment and Message
Comms planning is the discipline of placing the right message in front of the right audience at the right time. Now I know that the purchase funnel isn’t a perfect map of how shoppers buy our products, but I find it helpful to diagnose where problems lie in a brand’s comms.
Map Messages to the Purchase Funnel
Awareness. Aim to build recognition with emotional storytelling in broad reach media such as TV, online video and high impact social placements.
Consideration. Educate and engage using functional benefits and comparisons delivered through paid search, influencer content and retargeting.
Conversion. Prompt purchase with price, promotions and urgency, served through in store offers, ecommerce calls to action and direct email.
Loyalty. Strengthen relationships with community content and post-purchase value delivered through CRM, loyalty programmes and referral schemes.
Practical example. A new snack brand opens with emotive TV spots that spark curiosity, follows up with educational social posts about ingredients and then activates in store discounts to convert interest into sales. Planning messages in this way ensures every interaction moves people one step closer to purchase and repeat purchase.
3. Messaging Strategy: Balance Emotion and Function
Field and Binet’s research shows the most effective investment split is about sixty percent brand building for long term equity and forty percent sales activation for short term results.
Longer Term, brand building messages, the sixty
Focus on emotional storytelling that reflects customer values.
Use broad reach media such as hero video, prime TV and large format social.
Example: Nike’s “Just Do It” inspires action rather than discounts products.
Shorter term sales driving messages, the forty
Offer clear calls to action, sharp benefits and time-limited deals.
Use performance channels such as paid search, retargeting, ecommerce ads and shelf talkers.
Example: “Buy one, get one free until Sunday.”
Maintaining this balance grows today’s revenue and tomorrow’s brand preference at the same time.
How Big Black Door Can Help
Big Black Door builds data-driven, insight-led communication strategies that translate into measurable business impact.
Comms hierarchy development for message clarity.
Comms planning and execution across the customer journey.
Messaging strategy consulting to balance emotion and function.
Ready to refine your brand communication? Get in touch for a practical consultation.
A clear hierarchy, a well-timed plan and balanced messaging make every brand touchpoint consistent, persuasive and growth focused. Put these building blocks in place and your marketing will cut through the noise with impact and integrity.