Intentional vs Unintentional Communication
With the proliferation of mediums to advertise our wares, and everyone talking about social media, it’s easy to see how we can forget what marketing is. But at its essence, marketing is just about communication. It’s about finding the most effective way to clearly get your message across to the customer with the intention that it will generate a sale. The challenge for businesses is to craft messages and submit them in a way that captures the attention (and memory) of the audience. Therefore, great marketers are more than just graphic artists, strategists or eloquent speakers; they also deeply understand the effects of psychology and non-verbal communication.
Communication is the combination of various sensory stimuli, from actual words to the images, scents and related sounds that give the message context. We all know it’s not the same thing to say “Thank you” with a smile on our face as we face the person, as it is to say “Thanks” as you smirk and walk away. Our body language and the tone of our words make a huge difference in the way messages are received, as well as the many other components of context such as location, medium, etc. We can call this intentional vs. unintentional communication. When it comes to marketing, many novices spend a lot of time thinking about the intentional part of their message, but sometimes fail to spend enough time looking at the unintentional aspects.
Intentional communication encompasses all the deliberate words, actions, visual support, etc. that we consciously choose to include in any particular communication. It is what we are actively doing or adding to the message, and the deliberate intention of the message itself. For example: let’s say the person is selling advertising services, their intentional communication might be “As a world-class advertising agency, we deliver results that become sales for you”.
Unintentional communication includes everything else. It might be carelessly chosen words, or the location where the message is being transmitted, it might be facial expressions, etc. In all cases, it is everything that is being expressed by virtue of being present (or not present!) at the moment the message is being transmitted. For example: the same advertising company delivers the same message with the face of a 20 something dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Unless, they’re targeting the next social media genius who is still in college, it’s going to be difficult to land a world-class client with multi-billion dollar revenue.
These are very simple examples but they highlight the difference between the two forms of communication. The challenge is to translate that information and apply it to your current marketing strategy and/or campaigns. Most companies dedicated to succeeding will hire an expert to assist with marketing so that they can focus on the main area of their business.
Protege Media Group specializes in assisting service providers with creating a consistent brand image through all methods of communication. This means looking at what the client is intending to say, as well as being watchful for the unintentional messages that slip through.
The value of intentional vs unintentional communication lies in consciousness. When the advertiser is conscious of all levels of communication, and acts according to the message(s) contained in each area, then that person can become a very effective marketer. Using all the tools available to transmit the message they want the customer to perceive, the likelihood of the customer receiving the message and finding value in it, is exponential. And when clear messages are received by consumers, then your advertising dollars are well spent.
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