Make them give a damn

“Nobody gives a damn, kid.” Fifteen minutes into my first marketing job, and I received what would be the best advice of my career. As I waxed poetic about the *41st* flavor variant my brand would be launching, my more seasoned colleague chuckled as he cut me off mid-sentence:

  "Nobody gives a damn. Nobody cares about the details. What's the one thing you want to say that captures the essence of your brand?"

Today, as a more experienced marketer, I live by this advice. Time is valuable and people don't spend their days thinking about the textural intricacies of pasta sauce or about which vacuum cleaner best grabs that last speck of dust. To be relevant, you have to quickly capture the essence of your story. The details that follow are supporting points that your audience will care or not care about, depending on if they are relevant to them.

Over time, I've come to enjoy applying this way of thinking across situations.

To illustrate, fast forward to 2013. My family and I had just moved to Lyon, France. Walking around, I kept noticing something bizarre. Eight letters peppering the city. On billboards, walls, statues, buses, hashtags on Twitter. ONLYLYON. What did it mean? One day, walking down the street, I saw a man wearing a jacket with these 8 letters emblazoned on it and I couldn't help but ask. 

"It's an anagram. O. N. L. Y. The same letters as L.Y.O.N. It's our tourist campaign! Get it?"

Actually I don't. Lyon is a wonderful city. Roman ruins sit aside Europe's second largest renaissance quarter while Haussmannian buildings dot the center city. European-class museums and a well reputed orchestra provide culture while some of the world's best vineyards sit just outside the city limits. Drive for an hour and you're in the Alps. Two and you're at the sea. The city has a lot of advantages and the ONLYLYON campaign tries to highlight each and every one of them.

The thing is, I can't help but come back to that advice from early in my marketing career. Why should people care? What makes Lyon unique? Why come visit? Why not Verona, another city that checks pretty much all of these same boxes? Or Barcelona? Or Salzburg?

In other words, what's the essence of the city? If you asked me to describe New York City in one word, I'd say non-stop. Or Paris? Romance. London? Class. Lyon? I've thought about it and have settled on gastronomy. Google Lyon and you'll quickly come across articles like "Why is Lyon the Food Capital of the World?" Or "10 reasons why Lyon is the capital of gastronomy." Lyon has a *terrific* built-in point of difference: it is known for its food. THAT is the city's essence.

If the ONLYLYON marketing team were to ask me - which, given this article, I'm guessing they won't - how I would revamp the campaign, I'd tell them: Focus on the essence of the city. Leave the details for people to discover themselves. Because nobody gives a damn about the details.

How about you, what one word would you use to describe your city?

I’m an American marketer living in France and working in Africa. I really enjoy applying learnings from one part of my life to another. This is my 3rd post on LinkedIn, following my thoughts on moving abroad and parenting. Hopefully I’ve convinced you here that the essence of Lyon is food, and that’s why you should come visit!