Various tidbits on Advertising

Advertising is essentially news. Your ads, whatever the medium, should inform, educate, inspire, or promise a reward for taking action. Taking that one step further, your ads should be distinctive to your business or organization. It was your own individuality and unique vision that made you open your business in the first place. You had confidence in yourself then so have confidence in trying new concepts in your advertising. Some of the best creative ideas are found in trashcans because the advertiser or their agency were afraid to try something new.

How many stars do you give your company's videos?

Let's talk about your company's videos (image, recruitment, new employee orientation, training, etc.) Do they capture the viewer's attention, are they too long, too convoluted, or heaven forbid...too boring? No where is it written that a corporate video cannot be entertaining.

Here's a good rule of thumb....reception and retention on the part of the viewer is directly proportionate to presentation.

You video should tell a story and through a careful mix of scripting, visuals, voice & music, audio and video editing techniques, your next company video can be "boffo!"

If you want to breath some new life into your company's videos, give me a call. We'll talk.

Create an "ah-hah" moment

When crafting messages about your product or services, create an "ah-hah" moment. Learning something new or discovering an eye-opening fact can really make a message stick. Our brains are actually on the lookout for new information, so the best ads open our minds to new thoughts and ideas. Some of the best marketing messages ever created...open minds.

If you interested in creating an "ah-hah" moment, give me a call....we'll talk.

Unless you're selling air, check this out!

Anyone who owns or runs a business is constantly wondering....how do I reach more people?

More people probably isn't what you need....unless you're selling air.

For many products and services, share of wallet is better than share of market. For most, if not all, better prospects are a better path to more sales.

Better prospects come from better messages and better targeting.

And by surprising, delighting and engaging people.

I would be more than glad to help you surprise, delight and engage your prospects.

Give me a call, we'll talk.

Today's lesson: The Anatomy of a Commercial

Whether it be a radio or a TV commercial for your business, it's important that you understand the "Anatomy of a Commercial."

• The most important five seconds in a commercial...the opening hook. If you don't grab their attention from the get go, it's just that much harder to get them to listen or watch.
• Aim for the customer's hot button. Hit it and your half way home.
• Practice the Three D's---daring, different, direct.
• It's foolish to believe that a single commercial can tell the entire story. The most effective, persuasive and memorable ads are those most like a rhinoceros: They make a single point, powerfully.
• It all starts with the words. The copy must be in "people speak."
• Don't forget the target's ear and imagination. The right music, voice talent, inflection, sound effects, and believable, memorable and persuasive copy are all required to choreograph a successful commercial.

For more information about the "Recipe for an Effective Commercial"...give me a call, we'll talk.

What is advertising really all about?

When you stop to think about it, advertising is a conversation. You want to entice people to participate and so your conversation must be surprising, witty, charming, personal, relevant, informative, provocative and engaging.

Truth be known, people don't care about your product or service or what you have to say. They have their own worries. They have their own wants. What they don't have is time and you can't force them to listen.

So, if you surprise them, they notice.
If you engage them, they listen.
If you satisfy their basic wants and likes, they sample.
If you deliver, they tell their friends.

If you'd like to talk about creating surprising, witty, charming, personal, relevant, informative, provocative and engaging messages, call me....we'll talk.

Advt. 101 "Remember the Laws......"

As was previously stated, so much of advertising/marketing is plain old fashioned "common sense." With this in mind, I suggest that there are a few basic laws that have wide applications.

The Law of Perceptions

All that exists in the world of marketing are perceptions in the mind of the target audience(s). The perception is the reality. Marketing is a battle of perception.

The Law of Leadership

The basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in.

Who was the first person to fly the Atlantic solo? ----Charles Lindbergh

Who was the second person?---Bert Hinkler

Bert was actually a better pilot, who flew faster and used less fuel. Yet who ever heard of Bert?

The Law of Category

If you can't be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in.

Who was the third person to fly the Atlantic solo?---Amelia Earhart.
She's not known as the third person but as the "first woman" to do it.

The Law of the Mind

It's better to be first in the mind than to be first in the marketplace. IBM wasn't the first in the marketplace with the mainframe computer. Remington Rand was. But due to smart marketing, IBM got into the mind first and won the computer war.


If you'd like to discuss how to craft your story, give me a call....we'll talk.

Some basic observations..

Welcome to the inaugural post on my blog. This will be the first of many postings that will hopefully be of interest and help to a variety of businesses and organizations. Although they will deal primarily with advertising, I would rather use the phrase..."Story Telling." When you think about it, that's what advertising is really all about....crafting your story and then designing the most effective way of telling your story to the right audience.

In today's economic climate, effectiveness and cost-efficiency are even more important for any business. Just remember, a big budget is not the primary consideration for story telling. Common sense and creativity will always rule the day. So with that in mind, here is some food for thought:

Observation #1

“We live in a ‘what’s in it for me right now’ culture. In order to be a big winner in today’s marketplace, you must constantly push the edge for new ways to exceed customer’s expectations and be able to link value to your name.”

Observation #2

“We want to outsmart, out market, outsell and outdistance the competition. If you can’t outspend them, you just have to be smarter than they are.”

Observation #3

“If it’s a bright idea, that’s good. If it’s well executed that’s good too. But if it’s a persuasive execution of a terrific idea…that’s advertising.”