30 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn from The Little Mermaid
First released in 1989, The Little Mermaid was the 28th Disney animated feature, and one of their most popular to date. Disney movies usually have lots of useful nuggets of knowledge, and this one is no exception. With the help of the marketing experts over at runrex.com, this article will look to highlight 30 marketing lessons we can learn from The Little Mermaid.
Don’t be afraid to explore
The marketing universe is a big one, with lots of channels to leverage in trying to make your business a success. Just like Ariel, you should not be afraid to explore and discover new things, a point backed up by the experts over at runrex.com.
Seek knowledge
Ariel is not only curious, she actively tries to learn and understand stuff about the human world. As far as marketing goes, the lesson here is to always seek knowledge and try to pick up new skills and increase your knowledge levels. This will help you get the best out of your marketing endeavors and give you the success you crave.
The importance of emphasizing benefits over features
Even though Ariel has collected lots of gadgets and artifacts, it is clear that they don’t mean as much as the experiences she had when collecting them. This is also true when it comes to marketing where you should always emphasize benefits over features. Your audience wants to know how they will benefit when using your products or services rather than the cool features they have. Explain the features by revealing their benefits, as per the gurus over at runrex.com.
Invest in experiences
On a related note, another marketing lesson we can learn from The Little Mermaid is the importance of investing in experiences as that is what our customers are looking for. Let your content have more to do with experiences to fascinate your audience.
The importance of your voice
Ariel was willing to give up her voice as she didn’t think that she needed it that much until she realized that her voice was more important than she thought. In the same token, your voice is your most powerful marketing tool. Without it, you will be unable to interact with your audience and your marketing campaigns will flop, according to the experts over at runrex.com.
Find your voice
How, then, do you find your voice in the marketing sphere? Well, make sure you are where your audience is so that you can speak to them. This can be on social media platforms, blogs, and many others.
Your messages are just as important as your product, if not more
Ariel tried everything to get Prince Eric’s attention, but to no avail, because Prince Eric had fallen in love with her voice, not her body; he hadn’t seen her as discussed over at runrex.com. This shows how important your messages and how you present your product matters just as much as the product, if not more; a marketing lesson we can learn from The Little Mermaid.
Expect tough choices
Just like Ariel has a tough choice to make when she has to decide whether to sign the deal presented to her by Ursula or not, so will you be presented with tough choices when running your marketing campaigns.
Actions have consequences
When you are presented with tough decisions, as mentioned above, make sure you take your time to arrive at the correct one as actions have consequences. Just like Ariel’s choices had consequences so will your marketing decisions, and you should, therefore, make sure you make the right choices.
Information is key
Don’t be like Ursula who presented Ariel with a contract to sign without providing her with all the requisite information, for her sinister reasons. Make sure you provide your customers with as much information as possible as far as your product or service is concerned. This will build trust and will benefit greatly your marketing efforts.
Be honest
Also, be honest with your audience and don’t try to conceal anything from them, as Ursula did to Ariel. As the experts over at runrex.com will tell you when they find out you were dishonest, the trust will be broken, maybe irreparably, and your marketing efforts will be all for nothing.
Don’t limit yourself as far as your audience is concerned
King Triton doesn’t like humans due to his past experiences with them, and he, therefore, doesn’t want his daughter to be with one. If she had listened to her father, she would have missed out on Prince Eric. As far as marketing goes, while it is good to be targeted with your efforts to make sure your messages are getting to the right audience, don’t limit yourself unnecessarily. Target as many demographics as possible.
The modern customer is more enlightened than ever before
Prince Eric wasn’t moved by Ariel’s looks, no matter how hard she tried; he knew what he was looking for and couldn’t be swayed. In the same vein, customers nowadays are very enlightened and know what they want, as discussed over at runrex.com. Gone are the days when brands could just market anything to people and they’d go for it. Nowadays you will need a lot more than just a good-looking product.
Know what your audience wants
If Ariel knew that Prince Eric fell in love with her voice, she would never have agreed to give it up. As it turns out, she was trying to get Prince Eric’s attention with things he wasn’t interested in which is why she didn’t succeed. Similarly, if you are to succeed in your marketing endeavors, you will need to know what your audience wants and use it to get their attention.
Use the right tools
King Triton thinks he is protecting his daughter, but what he ends up doing is soften her up and make her a perfect target for Ursula’s evil plan. His use of his magic trident to destroy Ariel’s Grotto can be juxtaposed with using the wrong tools in your marketing efforts. While it is important to have the latest tools to succeed in marketing, according to the gurus over at runrex.com, it is just as important, if not more, to know which ones to use and how to use them.
Come to the right conclusions
King Triton is wide of the mark as far as his perception of humans goes, and this leads to all the mistakes he makes when thinking that he is protecting his daughter. He comes to the wrong conclusions hence why things end up as they do. When tracking the results of your marketing campaigns, you must come to the right conclusions when analyzing the various metrics that you are tracking if you are to make the correct changes and improvements.
Proper tracking is key
King Triton doesn’t do the correct tracking when he is analyzing humans, which is why his results are inaccurate. As the gurus over at runrex.com will tell you, tracking the results of your marketing campaigns is crucial, and you should get it right. Know which metrics to keep an eye on and how to interpret them otherwise you will come to the wrong conclusions just like King Triton.
Collect enough information first
Sticking to results-tracking, if you are to arrive at the correct conclusions, you will need to have a big enough sample size. King Triton makes sweeping conclusions on all humans based on a few experiences he has, which conditions all the wrong decisions he takes. Similarly, you must collect enough information on the various metrics you are tracking to get the correct analysis of the same. Let your campaigns run long enough to ensure you have enough information.
Put your customers first
While King Triton will say that he was protecting his daughter, the truth is that he was putting his fears ahead of her happiness. This is a mistake you can’t afford to make when it comes to marketing. Make sure that you are putting your customers and their needs first if you are to be successful.
Be where your people are
When Ariel exclaims that she wants to be where the people are, it strikes a nerve with all of us watching the movie through a marketer’s lens. Just like her, you should aim to be where the people are; your people. If your product is meant for young people, then you should make sure you are on social media, and so forth.
Provide value
Just like Ariel, consumers nowadays have a burning need for learning and information, which helps them in making the correct decisions. Make sure you are providing value and helping them satisfy their curiosity, as per the folks over at runrex.com.
How do you provide value?
Just like Ariel was able to find the information she was looking for, the way to provide your audience with value if by providing them with information and answers to questions. This is particularly crucial for content marketing where content providing value is more important and effective than promotional content.
Call-to-actions
As the experts over at runrex.com will tell you, having strong call-to-actions is key if you are to succeed in your marketing endeavors. This is a lesson we learn from the interaction between Ursula and Ariel during the contract signing where Ursula tells Ariel what she will do for her, and then proceeds to provide her with a means through which she can access the same.
Gate your best content
When Ursula requires Ariel to sign a contract to get the help she is looking for, this teaches us the benefit of gating your best content. This allows you to get crucial information on your visitors while giving them information that is of value to them.
Make sure that the gated content is of a high value
Don’t be like Ursula who didn’t provide Ariel with value after she had signed the contract to access the gated content. According to the gurus over at runrex.com, the worst thing you can do is gate content that is not of value as this will erode trust between you and your audience and damage the chances of your marketing efforts bearing fruit.
Memorability
Another marketing lesson we can learn from The Little Mermaid is how important it is to have campaigns and content that is memorable. Prince Eric remembers Ariel’s voice long after she is gone, and is looking for her. If you can have marketing campaigns that will stick in the memories of your audience long after they’ve seen them, then you will have a high chance of succeeding.
Diversity
The Little Mermaid also teaches us the value of surrounding yourself with a diverse marketing team where everyone brings something different to the table. Ariel surrounds herself with all types of aquatic friends and each of them helps her in their unique way, as covered over at runrex.com. Your Marketing should be diverse and this will give you many different ideas and solutions.
Don’t be afraid to try something new and different
While Ariel’s sisters seem to be happy swimming and singing where they were, Ariel wants to explore more and go where the people are, and in the end, she ends up finding true love. Similarly, when it comes to marketing, don’t be afraid to try something different if you are to get the best out of your marketing efforts.
Be creative and innovative
Even though Scuttle is wrong when he is telling Ariel that a fork is used to comb hair, it shows the creativity and out-of-the-box thinking you will need to reap great rewards in marketing. Be creative and innovative with your marketing efforts, as per the gurus over at runrex.com.
Offer your audience something different
Disney spiced things up in The Little Mermaid as the movie doesn’t have the typical happy ending of the happy couple living happily ever after. This made the movie fresh and different, offering something unique to what people expected. Similarly, uniqueness and offering something different to your audience is crucial if you are to be successful in your marketing efforts.
As always, if you are looking for more information on this and other topics, look no further than the ever-reliable runrex.com.