Peer Review: Inside Moves: Geeks in black dresses

It's easy to figure out why I don't like to write columns about client/agency relationships. Invariably, an agency writes a letter saying I'm full of it and that I couldn't possibly know what I'm talking about and that they don't need to understand the client's technology to do great advertising.
So why do so many clients equate working with agencies to chewing tin foil? One reason is they're trying to use a sizzle agency to sell technical steak. Let me explain.
There are three types of products in the tech market: consumer, business and professional. Each requires a different approach.
Consumer products require an agency that understands consumer marketing: traditional TV-based, mass-marketing campaigns with promos, celebrities, megaglitz and sex appeal. In this case, the agency doesn't need to understand the technology. The people writing the ads are potential customers for the product (game console, VCR, etc.). Their own experience helps them empathize. Their creative can be outrageous, in-your-face and full of attitude.
Business products require a more businesslike approach. Why? Because, from the customer's POV, there's more at stake. The business product-a printer, photocopier, or business computer-gets a job done. If the computer goes down, the entire organization can suffer. The campaign can be humorous or attention-getting, but it must also be factual, so the business person can compare the specs of one product to another. Once again, agencies are filled with business people who understand the issues involved in buying printers, photocopiers and computers. It's easy for them to empathize and to speak the prospect's language. They don't have to know how the technology works in order to promote the product.
Professional products register even higher on the Serious Meter. These are the technical tools used by technical people to do technical work. If you're considering spending $100,000 on a CAD software package, you're not going to want in-your-face, outrageous advertising. You want the answers to specific questions. You're going to want to know exactly how the product works. You're going to want the description to be in technical jargon written by someone who actually understands what they are writing (not someone who is just stringing together a bunch of "features and benefits" with verbs and adjectives).
There is no way a consumer agency can fake its way through this, although many try. The business agencies do a better job, because they're used to selling productivity tools, but if they don't have the technical understanding, their efforts will be just as lame.
Instead of getting answers to specific questions, the reader will be insulted with vague marketing cliches ("user friendly increase your ROI limited only by your imagination you'll be more productive in no time"). Even providing specifications won't address the person's real issues.
What do they care about? The same thing that all customers want to know: "What's going to happen to me after I buy this product?"
Consumer and business agencies can answer that question for consumer and business products, in detail, because they understand the desires and frustrations of the people who can't program their VCRs or the workers who are tired of messing with noisy, messy printers. In these cases, a good agency can do a decent job.
But the minute you get into geek territory, characterized by a unique language, history and culture, you simply have to understand the product, technology, tasks, and people before you can create relevant and motivating campaigns. Anything less is usually silly, insulting and/or completely uninformative.
Sure, you can create an ad that gets people's attention, like the CrossWorlds ad featuring the female CEO in a little black dress. But the ultimate goal of the selling process is to close as many sales as possible. Whatever you do at the beginning of the process-the lead generation stage-must lead gracefully and logically to the next step.
Imagine the logical response of the manufacturing engineer who saw the CrossWorlds ad: "Hi. I'm a manufacturing engineer and I just saw your ad for your manufacturing software, featuring your CEO in a little black dress. I've always been attracted to intelligent-looking women in little black dresses. Can you tell me more about her?"
If you're selling a professional product, don't fall into the trap of hiring a non-technical agency. You'll spend a lot of money and sales won't rise. Instead, find yourself some technoids who love marketing, or marketers who love technology. They'll communicate the real sex appeal of your product-without having to resort to a little black dress. MC
Kristin Zhivago is editor of Marketing Technology and partner at Zhivago Marketing Partners. Her email is kristin zhivago.com.