The Proper Use Of Key Messaging

A version of this post originally appeared in Brandtalk on April 23, 2018

Most everyone knows the Jason Bourne movie franchise, starting with 2002’s The Bourne Identity, based on the first book of the Robert Ludlum trilogy. There have been at least three sequels. And I hear another one is in the works. Shown here is a poster for the original movie. The artwork created for the poster is called key art. This image of a gun-totin’ Matt Damon on the run appeared on the poster, on advertising, on standees, online … anywhere it might help convince someone to see the movie. Because stars sell tickets, Matt Damon’s name and image dominate. But, because female lead Franka Potente is well-known in her native Germany, her image was added, just to the left and behind Matt, to the key art used there. There are usually other, smaller scenes depicted in the key art to give movie-goers an idea of what to expect from the film. For any product or service that needs to be marketed, key art is important. Key messaging works in much the same way. Extrapolated from a brand’s Positioning Statement, key messaging is designed to influence the way a market feels about a brand. Read more.