Do you know what day it is? It is September Equation Day. Get it? It is September 14, 2023! Still don’t get it? Okay, you know you can write out the date as follows: 09/14/23. What is 9 + 14? 23, right? Thus, the date is a math equation. Next month, October Equation Day happens on 10/13/23. Next year, September equation day will be on 09/15/24.

My guess is you did not understand Equation Day when you first heard it. You get it now because I explained it (or maybe you don’t!) The thing is, sometimes marketing can get so creatively intuitive, that it is not easily comprehended. It leaves people scratching their collective heads. That is not a good thing because marketing has to be uncomplicated and communicated clearly for it to be understood. Here is a key rule of marketing: If you have to explain your marketing campaigns to consumers, you are not marketing effectively.

Successful marketing campaigns are all about efficient communications. Your target market should come away with this knowledge when they experience your marketing:

• The name of your brand

• The product or service that is the brand

• A visual reminder of your brand so they know it the next time they see it

• The one feature you are promoting about your brand that catches their attention

• An easy next step

That is a rather uncomplicated list – no equations to figure out, no hoops to jump through, just simple communication.The truth is, no one is going to take the time to think hard about your brand. They have no obligation to you or your marketing to do so. Effective marketing makes it easy on the consumer. The best thing that can happen in marketing is when people remember your brand and don’t remember how they heard about it. Unconsciously they know your brand and what it is all about. They may have formed a positive opinion of your brand without really understanding how they came to that conclusion. This unconscious level of knowing and trusting your brand is when marketing is doing its best work.

How does that work? First, it takes an uncomplicated message in your marketing. Pick out the one thing that is memorable about your brand and make it your brand message. It is best when this is something that your competition cannot truthfully say as well. Second, be consistent in your messaging. Don’t call yourself the low-price leader and the next month call yourself the pinnacle of quality. Stick to your message. Third, get your message out frequently. The more people hear your brand messaging, the more it gets stuck in their subconscious. Fourth, use multiple mediums. People are looking in multiple places for information. Use them to promote your brand. After they see it in various places, they will commit it to long-term memory.

Keep your marketing uncomplicated. Don’t try to outwit your target market. Brand messaging should be easy to understand and easy to commit to memory. It is the job of marketing to make the complex and simplify it for consumers.

And by the way, as far as I know, there is no such thing as Equation Day in September or any other month. It is probably a good thing, because no one would get it!