Rational Messaging as Activation

Rational messages are about logic and taking action now. Remember the “elements of value”? is rational messaging is very much tied to functional value—basic information that adds up and that you can logically move forward with. Example: Buy now! Fi een percent o ! Only ten le ! is is rational messaging—looking at the savings and the importance of making the decision to purchase now.

e downside to these kinds of messages is that they are o en quickly forgo en. A er the moment of purchase, members of the target audience cease to pay close a ention, and the results quickly decay. With few residual e ects on brand perceptions, long-term sales, or price elasticity, the long-term paybacks are modest.

Rational messaging works great at the time of purchase but doesn’t do enough to inspire a groundswell of support for future interaction and purchases. If your competitors present a more rational message, you can potentially lose your connection with your audience. Luckily, we have another kind of messaging to help with that.