The other day I saw the strangest thing.  I was watching one of my favorite TV shows (Dirty Jobs) and there was an intriguing political commercial during the break.  A company was talking about the importance of Oregon on the national political stage and urged viewers to contact a specific representative to urge him to vote “no” on a particular issue.  I’m not trying to be cryptic here, there’s a very good reason I don’t remember the company, representative, or even issue name.

You see, I love politics.  I love hearing about it, discussing it, debating it, and so on.  So when I see an alleged national issue that Oregon has an impact on, my interest is slightly more than piqued.  The resounding error this advertisement made, though, is not knowing their audience.

The overall message was “we care about what Oregon residents think.  You’re important.  Please contact your representative today and tell him issue XXX is not right for Oregon.”  The error in the message was that the speaker was talking about Ore-GONE.  Anyone who’s spent more than a 30 minute layover in the state knows it’s pronounced Ore-GUN.

So even with my keen interest in American politics, history of working with politicians, and willingness to pick up the phone to call about an important issue … trying to reach me with this advertisement was a waste of money.  If you don’t care enough about my state to say our name correctly, the “we care about what you think” message comes across as fake and empty.

Whatever you’re trying to sell, be it a product or a political message, it is absolutely vital that you understand who your customer is and what they care about.  What would happen, say, if Burger King tried to market its Whopper sandwich in India?  Yes, it’s a popular product … but not in a country where slaughtering and eating cows is considered sacrilege.

Know who it is you’re trying to communicate with.  Understand their interests, passions, and concerns.  Then make sure whatever message you’re trying to get across resonates with them.  That is how you market successfully.