I’m not sure of its origin, but the RUB test is a standard in marketing. What is the RUB test? It’s three simple questions you should answer about your marketing message.
R: Is your message relevant? Your marketing message needs to connect with your customers and potential customers. If your message doesn’t have some bearing on the needs and wants of your customers, it’s not relevant to them.
To ensure that your message is pertinent, you will need to do some homework. Talk to your customers and access information on the target audience you’re trying to reach. Unless you have a good understanding of what your audience is looking for, you may put the wrong message out there and lose that important connection with the customer.
For example, a company might develop an advertising campaign that’s built around lower prices because they think that’s what matters most to customers. In reality the ample parking was the deciding factor for the customers.
U: Is your message unique? There are many different ways to craft a unique message. The most important factor is to create a message that’s not generic. So often you see ads that tout a company’s convenience or its great customer service. If you look at those ads closely you will see how easily any company’s name could be inserted into the ad. The message has to be distinctly yours. “Voted # 1 in customer service” is a good example of a generic message.
The design of your advertising is also a major contributing factor to your uniqueness. Open any magazine and look at all the ads for nurse recruitment. They all look alike with a photo of a smiling model posing as a nurse and a bulleted list of benefits. It’s hard to tell them apart. But an ad with a visual that speaks to what nurses are really looking for in a job and that looks different than all the other ads is memorable.
B: Finally, is your message believable? This may be the most important question of all. If you can’t answer yes to this question your credibility is at risk. There are some things that are just not plausible. For instance, if you’re not New York or London, your marketing message probably shouldn’t state that you are the premier choice for a theatre experience. You may have excellent theatre, but you are unlikely to convince anyone that theatre is your main attraction.
Work with your strong benefits. Remember that you are a new entity for potential customers and if your message doesn’t ring true, they will probably not dig any deeper to see if you’re offering what they want.
Of course, you must answer these questions honestly. Everyone wants to think that his or her marketing messages are relevant, unique and believable. But for the test to be effective, you must think like a customer or potential customer who knows only what your message tells them about your business.
Keeping that in mind, does your marketing message pass the RUB test?