Latest Ad Man Formula

A media research ad man has coined a formula. Part of his thesis on filling The Brand Gap;

P² + C = 5 is the formula for how marketers can harness the power of the public screen alongside the private screen to drive success throughout the brand funnel.

So the launch spiel goes. The vaunted ‘new normal’ will rather be the ‘new different’.

So what does the formula P² + C = 5 mean?
P² is the Public screen (e.g. OOH/TV) working with the Private screen (mobile and on-line) that amplifies outcomes for brands.
C is the Creative contribution, using ‘distinctive assets’, context and a ‘creative bridge’ to move assets across platforms, priming audiences in their first exposure in high-attention channels.
5 is the outcome of P² plus C, referring to how Attention sits at the heart of how we create Trust to drive Awareness, Consideration and Activation.

Whether this is cutting edge insight, or insider gobbledegook, who knows.

As a solution salesperson, at least I see writer Justin Gibbons trying to frame something useful.

How to react to a clearly oncoming change.

And hats off for using the tool of an equation to do so.

Regardless of content, it’s always handy to see how others use a formula to express an idea elsewhere in commerce.

Offering up your own on a bid can have a real impact.

It helps make you distinct from other alternatives, frames the problem or solution in your language, and hopefully gains greater prospect buy-in through their resulting inquisitive engagement.

The devices used here appear threefold.

First, note the ². The author could have gone for an S for screen. They chose to distinguish between those Private and Public. Perhaps a missed trick, as an S could have been cubed, rather than squared, for granular drill down into the array of screen types. Still, the concept of mathematical ‘powers’ is definitely one to bear in mind.

I also note the capital letter used. There’s a famous example of a pair of ‘p’ variables where the creator elected to have one lower case, the other upper. Specifically, where performance (p) is equal to potential (P) minus interference (I); p = P – I. (Later adapted by rugby World Cup champions). An option when you feel attached to the importance of a shared initial letter. You sense here, they thought something like P + p + C would lessen impact.

The most heralded formula ‘c’ is not a capital one, but Einstein’s use for the speed of light in E = mc². A reminder that many a letter you choose could have scientific double-meaning. Note that there’s °C, ‘change’ is often represented by the Greek letter, delta Δ. and a ‘constant’ by K.

Then there is the final balance of, in this case, the 5. Depending on your view, this is either a cop-out or winning simplification. It here represents five different elements. What’s needed to go your way into the mix for you to earn a favourable decision. Such a quintet of quasi-system stages feels like they earn a bit more than a solitary digit.

Considering the overall theory, then bridge the gap, plug the hole or fill the vacuum metaphors might have come into play too. You could always use a non-alphanumeric character. How about citing an upwards arrow for your ‘5-ups’; written as 5↑ ?

In any case, here’s a tool that can help you sell.

Have you found your winning formula?