We all know Alfred Hitchcock, and we know that horror brought him fame. The moment we hear his name, we think of «The Birds» or «Psycho».
The Benefits of Branded Content
Hitchcock is a perfect example of what branded content is. He was a master in his genre, and he knew his target audience. In an interview, he once said that he creates films for women as they made up 70% or more of the cinema-goers.
Today, he is often referred to as «The Master of Suspense.» In fact, Hitchcock established the terms «Suspense» and «MacGuffin». While «suspense» is self-explanatory, «MacGuffin» might need a word of explanation: It is an object or event that, in itself, is insignificant but is an important ingredient to the plot and the motivation of the characters. It creates relevance, so to speak.
This quote might make it even clearer:
THERE IS NO TERROR IN THE BANG, ONLY IN THE ANTICIPATION OF IT.
Alfred Hitchcock
The bang itself is meaningless, but it explains why everybody in the scene is scared. And the quote explains even more: the audience is terrorized by their own fears as it all is in our thoughts. In other words, we even create the suspense in our thoughts with a little help from the film, which could be seen as the «MacGuffin» to our brain cinema.
Of course, there are other directors who can create wonderful thrillers. But from Hitchcock, we would not expect anything BUT thrillers. As the master himself coined it:
I AM A TYPED DIRECTOR. IF I MADE CINDERELLA, THE AUDIENCE WOULD IMMEDIATELY BE LOOKING FOR A BODY IN THE COACH.
Alfred Hitchcock
MORE THAN FAME
But horror brought Hitchcock not only fame but even knighthood. In 1980, the late Queen Elizabeth II made him a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).
As we are talking about branding and communication here, the above allows at least two conclusions:
IMPORTANT CONCLUSIONS
Know your Target Audience
No matter how big or small your niche is, identify it clearly and adapt your tone of voice to them.
TALK TO YOUR TARGET CLIENTS
You must focus on your target customers. For if you don’t, your talk or product is emotionless. People do not buy products, they buy dreams, experience, miracles, and positive feelings.
And if you convince your target audience, they do the rest for your brand. Men took their women to the cinema because the latter wanted to peer through the &alquo;Rear Window». Your customer’s friend will go with them to the shop for friendship’s sake and might end up buying your product too. Because Hitchcock did focus, his movies attracted the crowds, which again brought money and honour to the British economy. These extraordinary deeds to his nation were honoured by the British monarch.
EXPERIENCE
Just for the record, this is not mere theory. Design Is Attitude is the owner of the brand Stilettissimo. And they focus clearly on:
LUXURY FOOTWEAR FOR WOMEN WITH THE HIGHEST TASTE LEVELS, EVEN HIGHER STANDARDS, AND UNCOMPROMISING INDIVIDUALITY.
Stilettissimo
