The challenge to keep it simple.

“There are two ways of constructing a software design; one way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult.”

- C. A. R. Hoare

This quote underscores what most marketers aspire to achieve: a message without any obvious weaknesses. But which method should be pursued; the simple, or the complex?

There’s a certain courage it takes to make things simple. How often do we find ourselves loading up a message with features and benefits to make sure we didn’t miss anything? It’s tempting to pile on the information. (And it may be safer for your career.) But while this method may have no “obvious deficiencies,” it is rare that it works as well over time as a simple, true message.

Why? Because people want their decisions to be made easier for them, not more complex. Imagine yourself in your target audience’s shoes: They are implicitly asking you to make their lives easier by offering an easier choice. And the more complex you make this process, the more difficult your target audience’s choice becomes (and the least likely you will be chosen). Your marketing message becomes an irritant instead of a help.

People want a simple, straight-forward reason to choose you. And it comes down to satisfying or answering one simple thing. But, what is the one simple thing? That is why this method is far more difficult, but worth the time. Just ask Apple, Nike or Target — the brands held up as the epitomes of what consumers prefer — and the answer speaks for itself, with “obviously no deficiencies.”