Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com

Concept Writing -- Formatting and Product Price

The two most frequently asked questions about concept writing deal with the formatting of the concept and if the price of the product should be included or not.

Like everyone else, I have an opinion. With respect to the inclusion of price in the concept, I prefer not to include it for a couple of reasons. First, at the concept stage we generally do not have any idea what the specific cost will be. If that is true, why jeopardize the concept needlessly. Also research has shown that a majority of consumers do not know the prices they really have paid for their brands. If we feel a price positioning is necessary, we can use something like "Priced similar to the leading brands" or "price 10% lower than the leading brands" making a relative statement. However, if price is considered absolutely necessary, I suggest that the concept evaluation take place in the supermarket aisle where the price can be viewed in context with other alternatives and their cost. It's called Assessment in Context.

Many companies standardize their concept outlines, for example, a concept may be of only one paragraph of no more than five lines. While others will allow one 8½ x 11 inch page complete with headline, reason for being, description of the product and a reason to believe. You can use visuals and you must include the price of the product. Other companies are somewhere between the two examples.

Before deciding the appropriate format, we must first agree on the purpose of the concept. I believe it is definitely not to demonstrate our creative writing ability. I believe it is to adequately describe a solution to a consumer need to the extent that the consumer can visualize the product and assess the value of the solution. Having said that, it seems to me that whatever it takes to adequately describe the solution should be used. Even if it means a full blown commercial or a 30 minute infomercial.

I have serious concerns about standardization in concept writing. Some products are very easy to describe while others are not. Consider the challenge facing some of my friends at Procter & Gamble a few years ago when evaluating the potential of a brand of sanitary napkins called Always. Always' claim to fame was less soiling of undergarments. Why? Because they had wings. Wings on a sanitary napkin try to describe that feature without a visual. The solution we used was a short commercial containing a demonstration.


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