Marketing's biggest day... The Super Bowl

Today is the day advertising professionals live for. Super Bowl Sunday is here! The creativity of advertisers have made this event more about the advertising than football. Major networks will air the commercials during their newscasts around the globe and the commercials themselves will become viral on the Internet and I will do my bit and show you a few:

There are many more than this, but you will see the common thread is humorous and entertaining spots that speak very little to the product, but do capture a feeling about the product. They key to advertising now is a feeling a product gives you. Even if you don't have Millions to spend on epic television commercials, your ads should speak to a simple message of how your product or service makes you feel. Tag an emotion to your ads and they will sing back long after you run them. The VW commercials themselves actually sing back to a popular commercial they ran during a previous Superbowl:

You may also ask yourself how marketers know whether the ads work or not? A simple increase in sales, even of 1% shows them it works. After all would you stop in and tell the VW dealer that you came in and bought this $20,000 because you saw a dog chase a car during the Superbowl? Probably not, but you did in part. It takes 7 impressions get action in most cases. Asking customers how they found out about you only paints part of the picture. Chances are they will only give you one impression, not all 7. They may even say, "I heard" something about your business, which may have been from an ad. Enjoy the Super Bowl, the spectacle and keep attune to how the whole event and the commercials make you feel, because that is the key to you what you want to achieve with your ads. Until Next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man"

Some good ways of killing a good ad campaign.

You may have read in some of my Blogs in the past about walking the walk when it comes to advertising and how your competitors gain from your advertising. To further explore that idea, I'll start with a book I am reading called "13 Ways to Kill Your Community" authored by Alberta MLA Doug Griffiths and newspaper writer Kelly Clemmer.

In chapter 2, the tongue in cheek approach is "Don't attract Business", which many would say of course a community needs to attract business. But how? What if the Mayor owns the only Gas station in town and someone wants to put in a gas station? It is a real life case study that Griffiths talks about in the book. One of the other ideas presented that business can learn from is the following: (from his speech on the subject) " In touring the province we found that communities of about one thousand people in which there was one grocery store, that grocery store owner barely made enough money to support his or her family. However, in communities of roughly the same size where there were two grocery stores, interestingly enough, both did quite well. Likewise was the case in communities of three to five thousand when it came to restaurants. Where there were only a couple of restaurants both suffered, but where there were many restaurants they all seemed to do well. There are many more examples I could provide but space is limited.

What is more important is why that would occur.  And they like to feel they are purchasing in a competitive environment that assures them the best price. In communities where competition is limited we found that people would chose to drive to another community where there was more choice, more variety, and better prices because of competition. Essentially, their dollars would leave town."

Interestingly enough, through my years as an Advertising Consultant, I have had a number of clients who have had an expectation that they would have exclusivity in their business category in our publications. It was never spoken of prior to placing ads, but when the time came when a competitor advertised with us, they took offense and pulled their ads from our publications. That is one way to kill a good ad campaign.

So did the value of our publication to their ad campaign change? Did their competitive advantage over their competition change? Was their message any less effective with a competing business advertising near them? Simply put, the relationship, the marriage if you will, was lost because they had an unrealistic view that I was offering exclusivity. The relationship between a customer and a business is more like dating than a marriage. Do one thing to upset a customer and they will storm out and never come back, regardless of how many great years your business has been them. Those are the customers that are up for grabs in the competitive business of advertising. The free agents, the single, the recently dumped. Don't lose sight of that when you are putting together your ads. If your customers are not comparing you in our publication, they will compare you with ads in other media. Perhaps the worst is, they may not compare you with anyone at all.


Remember what the book said "People in general like choice and variety". With that in mind, you should be placing ads in places where the competition is, or encourage your competition to place ads where you are. You are more likely to get the response you are hoping for and so will your competition. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man"

Did you run away from this product?

Here is another example (you will see a few in my Blog) of a commercial that takes an awful risk. Dentyne Frost Bites took humor to a new level in this spot. Some might enjoy this humor, those of the Horror Film variety, but many might be repulsed by the product in this classically bad commercial which debuted in September 2004:

 

I'm sure I don't have to tell you the risk Dentyne took with this TV spot? A look at their product list on the website and behold, No Dentyne Frost Bites Gum. I would suspect that this commercial was the reason the product is not listed. It just didn't connect with the end user. I know I saw this hundreds of times, so Dentyne must have spent a small fortune worldwide.

Don't get me wrong, risks can pay off. Just make sure you have enough to fall back on if it doesn't work. Dentyne did. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man"

Do focus groups give honest answers?

McDonalds is one of the number one advertisers worldwide. You would think that all marketing and advertising would go through a focus group? One wonders if people who are asked to participate in focus groups give honest answers? Most people, are likely to give you the answer they think you want.

I was once asked to be involved in a focus group about cell phones. It was WAY back in the dark ages prior to the advent of the flip phone. Early days. One of the questions centred around my feelings about AT&T. I answered "American". The shocked administrator then probed further to find that I preferred to deal with Canadian companies. Again, this seemed to shock him like he had never heard this or even considered it. It was not long after that, the WWE (Then called WWF) had one of their most popular story lines of Canada Vs. USA. So clearly, many Canadians felt the way I did, but the company came north and clearly others did not voice their opinions. AT&T Canada didn't last long here.

So back to the McDonalds example, which came to my door:

A nicely printed, direct mail piece complete with full colour photo's and money saving coupons. One might say a slick look that should get some play with people in January when dollars are a bit tight after Christmas time. The word Crave is a nice word relating to restaurants and food, descriptive, yet open to interpretation. But one must also consider the impact of the film, "Supersize me" and the healthy eating revolution that has been the theme of media for the last decade. McDonalds themselves have tried to add some healthier options to the menu, at significant cost. Did no one in the focus group, or at the board room table, when considering fonts think about the VERY FIRST impression I got when this came to the door? A little correction tape and 10 seconds later it becomes this:

Did the play on words not come up? or did the yes people decide not to rock the boat? Add to that how quick a photo like this can make it's way around the Internet..... in a heartbeat! One must consider all the ways people have access to, to make a joke. Humor on the world wide web spreads like wildfire.

The lesson, be careful of your perception, be careful of your slogans and make sure that your words and advertising can not be taken the wrong way. Many businesses have learned this the hard way over the years, especially when translating ads into different languages. A bad decision on wording can cost more than the advertising itself and you may never get back to the level you were before the mistake. Until Next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man"

2011, the evermoving target market.

The one thing marketers will look back on in 2011 is what they didn't know. Markets, the world wide web, nations and all people were a VERY moving target in 2011. Any medium that is not flexible may have resulted in a stale advertising piece. Those advertisers who were not ready to adapt, not ready to change with the the flow were doomed to suffer in obscurity. In 2011, conventional wisdom may have put you behind your competitors. It may have even put your entire industry behind staying competitive.

Moving forward into 2012, Marketers must keep reading, researching and keep things flexible to stay ahead of the game. The only thing that certain is uncertainty. Listen close to the wind. Until next year, I am Larry "The Ad Man" Happy New Year!!

Building your online profile. Expectations can be disaster.

When building an online profile for your business, it is important to have a goal, but more important to be flexible with your expectation of results. Some of the musts include a website, blog, facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and Twitter for "most" businesses. I myself, as a sales person do not have a website, but the publications I represent all have an online version that I can send out as links to prospects. For retail business a LinkedIn profile may not be a priority, but might be a good way to connect with suppliers. I would recommend, if you haven't already taken the time, it is worthwhile to study social media and how it can work for your business. If you don't have the added time, look to add an employee or consulting firm to your books. Stay far away from "catch all" phrases when it comes to social media. At the end of the day, it is about the personality of your business. Nothing more and nothing less.

Keep in mind, the more tools you have, the better you can be and the better you look to potential customers. It has taken me a year to get a direct response from my Blog for my business, but that doesn't mean that it did not work prior to that. It just means this customer in particular felt strongly enough to tell me. Therein lies the magic of advertising. It is so subtle, you don't even know it is working on you. Have you ever been asked how or why you frequent a business? Some, you feel strongly about and would probably be a customer without advertising. Others however, are not so overt. Subtle images and messages over time most likely? These are the customers marketers are looking for. Politico's call them the swing vote. Marketers refer to them as market share. A small business might look at them as the difference between break even and profit. However you might look at them, they are worth the effort to get your message out to in as many ways as you can afford.

Like any relationship, you have to work at the one you have with your customers. In person and online. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man"

How do you handle adversity??

Many things can happen to your business via external sources. A supplier may fail you, a competitor may undersell you, A customer may bad mouth you. What ever the reason, your marketing and service function should have a plan ready to all eventualities. Recently a major wind storm blew through our city, wreaking havoc on many structures.

Two of the local area merchants, both national corporations were affected as well. 7-11 and Petro Canada. Both of these retailers had plastic signs with a metal frame. The wind was so strong that the plastic blew out crashing to bits against the pavement. The Petro Can, was right at a major intersection. When I went out for a walk and took these pictures for our community facebook page, the 7-11 had cleaned up the mess leaving just the empty sign. The Petro Canada had not done so yet. It took a couple of days for the debris to disappear as hundreds of vehicles drove over it, risking tire punctures in the process.

 

So how did these stories affect your image of the businesses? How do you think the people driving over the plastic in the intersection felt about Petro Canada? From a Marketing and Advertising perspective, how much money will it take to make us forget about the bad feelings we have over a bad neighbor?

So if you can't respond to adversity well then be ready to spend a lot of time and money to correct the bad feelings. If you can correct it at all. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Sweat the details

I came across a television commercial last week that had me thinking about the little, half second things, that can ruin a commercial or overall campaign. The commercial in particular was about the United States Gulf Coast. Tourism people in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi spoke passionately about how their areas were great places to visit. Keep in mind, I have enjoyed Florida on many occasions and they had me seriously considering it during this ad. Something rung true to me and had me thinking. THEN... in the last second of the commercial the BP logo popped on the screen. Effectiveness GONE.. in a heartbeat. I had forgotten about that massive oil spill that experts say will have an impact for MANY years. the BP logo reminded me. It shows the power of branding in a big way, but unfortunately for them, their logo is linked to a major disaster.

Consider this when you link yourself to a company or a celebrity. What if that company or celebrity become involved in a PR nightmare as BP did. If you had previously linked yourself to them your company can be harmed, perhaps destroyed over something you have no control over.

Many companies dropped Tiger Woods and Micheal Vick after controversial episodes in their lives. But can the damage be fixed by just dumping them? After the Billions of dollars spent to link Nike and Buick to Tiger, I don't think that link can be broken that easily. A business relationship is much like a marriage, even after divorce, there is still a link.

So be very careful of your business relationships and how much you link your business to another business or person. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

One ad in one medium will not work for you!

When starting out in business many new business owners fail to budget and strategize their business advertising during the planning process. Then, once up and running, they have no time to sit down and put together an advertising plan, because they are the chief cook and bottle washer, trying to master all other aspects of the business. As such, when an advertising rep like me, comes in and speaks to them about advertising, they have little time for me and even less to produce a good ad.

An ad rep can only do so much. I do NOT know your customers and what makes them frequent your business. I don't know your product as well as you do and know your overall customer service and in store them you may wish to convey. Yet, the advertisers who place one ad with me, will invariably say, "It didn't work". Like somehow the medium has failed. You couldn't be more wrong and short sighted. Many factors go into responding to an ad, the first of which is how many impressions you have of the business. If I offered you a free ad and said in the ad, all products are free this week, do you think you might get a response? If your answer is yes, then the message, not the medium is to blame.

And be prepared to answer the question to yourself, what is my expectation? When I spend $65 on a display ad in a community newsletter, am I expecting a flood of people walking in the door stating "I saw your ad in the newsletter"? Keep the bar of expectation low for one ad. Your goal should be over a time period like 6 months or a year. It should also be clear to you and your ad rep. what your goal is, so that ads are designed in such a way that goal can be reached. It should also be combined with other media to convey the message more strongly. That includes your signage, brochures, and other in house marketing pieces. In Marketing, remember Synergy. The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.

It has been a rare day in the last 3 and a half years, that a client has raved about the response from one ad. I can only think of one. But there have been many lamenting " It didn't work for us" and once they convince themselves it is the medium, there is no convincing them otherwise. So is it the medium or the message? What do you think? Until next time, I'm Larry "The Ad Man".

The best marketing may not make a successful product. Set the bar accordingly.

During a recent move, I came across a couple of beer bottles labeled X and Y with a Labatt Copper label on the neck. "X" was a Lager, while "Y" was an Ale. It's been years since I've seen a Labatt Copper beer, but I recall I was part of the beer drinking  public that decided which of X and Y would become Labatt Copper. Chances are, they sold more X and Y than they did Labatt Copper. In a two-week period during January 1995, more than 115,000 people voted in the most creative market research initiative ever conducted by a brewer. In the end, "X", the lager, which should come as no surprise to Canadian beer drinkers, was chosen by 56.9 percent of voters in four provinces.

So as a marketer, I would rank this creative endeavour VERY highly. It engaged the consumer in a way that had never been done before or since. And it sold them a lot of beer over that 2 week period. If each voter purchased a 6 pack (3 of each X and Y) then Labatts sold 690,000 bottles in 4 provinces in 2 weeks. Based on the fact I have not seen a similar initiative since 1995 and that the product is not longer available from Labatt's, the campaign must have cost a fortune and not lived up to expectations.

But if one considers a 2011 campaign, with Internet and social media available, one might consider selling a million bottles of beer over 2 weeks a huge marketing success. I look forward to seeing a similar campaign for a product in the near future once marketers grasp the best use of online and social media to create even more excitement. Who will be the first? Or the next? Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Blogging, an unmeasurable marketing tool. For me

As I write this and spend time on it, week in week out, I can not tell you there there are any sales of advertising that I can directly attribute to it. Has someone found my Blog and e mailed me to advertise? Not to my knowledge, but perhaps? Has someone mentioned that they referred me because of what they read in my Blog? Not yet? So why am I doing this? Taking time on a Sunday to write these ideas, thoughts and tips? Well, I have gotten some decent feedback from friends and some colleagues and that's always nice. I am developing a profile on the Internet with this, my facebook account and Twitter. I've been nominated for A Canadian weblog award. And when I go and see a new client I ask them to read my Blogs so that they have some more understanding of the way I think about advertising and we can start on the same page. I am not sure that goal is resonating either? I'd love to see a comment from a client here.... I was asked to Blog for The Huffington Post recently, which must have been on the back of this Blog. And I have 49 Blog posts that will be up for all to read that will keep working for me in some way.

So even though the reason I started Blogging has not been what I had hoped, other opportunities have come along which have been positive. So why should you Blog? That is a great question. If your business is related to the news in any way, is evolving in any way, or have a very technical product, then Blogging is probably a good use of your time. Picking up on current news items and relating them to your business is a great way to get attention. Your Blogs may actually serve as a Press Release and the media may pick up on it? Remember to use Twitter to promote your Blog posts. It has been my best way of getting traffic. A good headline will get you a reader on Twitter.

If you have a product that has many uses or is difficult to use, the Blog may not only help your current customers, but help people that may have decided against your product due to its complexity.

Like many things on the Internet, keep it flexible and your goals fluid and ready to change and you will become a successful Blogger, although you may have to redefine your definition of success. Commit to it and be authentic. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Buzz words 101

Buzz words and jargon is a long held staple of the advertising business. Trendy statements that fit an era are often seen in advertisements, dating the ad. With today's online media, bringing back some of these old ads, might it not have been advisable to stay away from dating the ad, so it can work in future years?

One of these trendy statements that seem to fit a certain type of business that MANY want to stay clear of is "Make easy money!" "Making $$$" or "making thousands of $ per month part time". These are the mantra statements of the multi level marketing field and many online social media are resurrecting them to collect followers in the hope of a big payday. Another one online marketers are using is "deal". I have more "deal" followers on twitter in the last week than anything else. Saving or making money is what these marketers promise. However, the average online consumer is more interested in finding something that ads value and is authentic and will be there long term, not a fly by night, make a quick $, save $ type of business.

So how does this translate into your business? Your advertising? OWN your buzz words. Don't follow, lead. That will be the standard in long term marketing success. Don't buy into the idea that someone made x thousand dollars in a month using these buzz words or that they have 20,000 followers on Twitter. In fact, on a personal note, nothing will draw me away faster than the promise of making HUGE money and a 90% discount.

Each industry has it's own buzz words and phrases. Some have lasted the test of time and work, but the key or the magic of advertising is to set yourself apart from your competition. be different, be authentic and stay away from jargon and buzz words and you have a chance of gaining a loyal customer. Until next time, I am "Larry The Ad Man"

Marketing with a social conscience.

We've seen many examples over the years of companies giving to charity, establishing their own charity or making social statements. In recent years we see businesses cropping all over the place that ARE social conscience. Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Alternative Energy Companies, Farmers Markets, Organic Farms, Recycling and more.

So with this in mind, how can you identify your company with something like this? This is not as easy and simple as it might have been 5 short years ago. North American society is changing at a rapid pace and businesses have to be ready to adapt. The first rule to consider is be authentic. Just like your profile in social media, people will find out very quickly whether your chosen mantra is authentic to your business. Make sure the cause is just and is "yours".. and you personally have a passion for it so your business will "own it".

Next thing to consider, once you find your passion, will you chose to organize something on your own or pick an established organisation to support? If it's an established organisation, which one? In Canada these days there are dozens of charities and foundations that service a social area. Some causes much more than that. In this case it is even more important to own it. Many corporations have established a relationship with many major charities. There is a much bigger attention for your business to have a breast cancer awareness evening, or donate profits to breast cancer than there is for supporting the CIBC run for the cure. CIBC gets your thunder there!

Sometimes the cause chooses you. A client of mine had a water store, filing bottles and selling water filters. One day their daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease, which eventually turned their business into Calgary Gluten free, a market of gluten free food products. When they speak of the Gluten free items there is NO doubt they are knowledgeable, passionate and authentic when they speak of their daughter.

So when considering advertising and marketing feel good thoughts and causes, make sure you put all of your might into it and be authentic and your ads will sing. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Create an emotional connection.

This is the challenge of many an ad agency and marketing director for billion dollar products. If you consider the products and services you purchase, take note of how they make you feel. You may note that how you feel about the product relates to an ad campaign or marketing strategy employed by the product. Car companies try to play to "safety", "prestige", "well made" type of themes. Beverage companies go with "thirst quenching" and beer companies promise the company of good looking women.

How does one do this on a more modest budget? A more long term approach is required for success in this area. Months, perhaps years depending on the budget and reach. They key is to stay focused on it and stay consistent. The message MUST fit the product or service and MUST be true. A restaurant can't say they have the best tasting food and serve you something bland and uninspiring. If you say your product will make you dream of running through clover, than that had better be the result. Obtuse yes, but don't claim you are something you are not. Customers will react negatively to a claim if you do not meet the expectation. It's all about the experience of purchasing and how that makes your customers feel.

Undersell in your advertising and over deliver in your business and the customers will beat a path to your door. The tough decision is what will undersell, but get customers to try your business. That's the billion dollar balance. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Don't forget the details...

I have spoken often about knowing your customers, but also be clear who your audience is when designing your advertising. A TV, radio, newspaper, twitter and facebook audience are ALL VERY different. Often I see people using one statement on all social media complete with hashtags and @addresses on facebook and LinkedIn. I also see the same print ad running in VERY different mediums or TV ads audio run as a radio commercial. While cost effective, you might be limiting the effectiveness of your ads by not speaking to your audience. Consider who watches, listens and reads the media before you commit your ad to air or print.

Also consider if the media reaches outside your city or area. My father lives in a city that is part of a larger region (5 towns) and often sees, hears and reads advertisements that don't mention which city or town they are in, just the address. If it's not an address he is familiar with, then he has to assume it is in another city? He might very well become a customer, but the ad has lost him by not mentioning the city.

So, considering the design of an ad, which I have show a few good examples, should have the elements of what your customers think of your business and what will resonate with the audience of the media. The 3 examples ran in the Alberta edition of The British Canadian newspaper. Until next time, I am Larry "The Ad Man". Feel free to comment or ask a question below.... I'd love to hear from you.

What contributes to your buying habits?

Think about the things that you purchase, either once in awhile or on a regular basis. Start 3 columns, one things or stores you have purchased regularly for many years, next column, things you have changed purchases wether it be a brand or a store and finally, one time purchases. Once you have these columns set up think about why you have made these decissions. Dig deep into your memory. Was it word of mouth, ads you have read, ads you have seen or heard, proximety to your home or work? or was it a combination? What keeps you coming back or staying loyal? As well, is there a product or service you have swiched to that was no fault of the past brand or store?

What you may find in this excersize is the start of an advertising plan. The one thing you should find is that it took more than one thing and that it took multiple impressions of a business or product before you decided to give them your business. It may have been poor marketing or customer service from the competition that may have been the cause of the swich. If that is the case, the marketing and advertising of the competetor you swiched to is key. You can never know when customers are ready to make a change in buying habits, so your advetising has to be ready ALL the time. You also need to recognize the things you need to do to keep your current customers.

So the lessons from this excersize is to know what seperates your buinsess from the competition, know your customers, know your competition and have a consistant and long term marketing plan that uses all elements you learn to attract new customers and keep current ones. Until next time, I'm Larry "The Ad Man".

Stick your message !

I had a recent discussion with one of my clients about some television commercials. There is a disturbing trend of nonsensical commercials that have VERY little "stick" value. An example of stick value would be is I said "2 all beef patties"... did you finish the song? Thats sticky. McDonalds could stop advertising for years and you would still remember that and it will still resonate and make people visit their restaurants.

Recent commercials have clearly decided that they do not want to stick. This client mentioned commercials he had seen that didn't mention the product it was advertising until the end. I asked, did you remember the product the next time you saw the commercial? He thought for a second and said "no, good point" with a smile. Large multinational companies spend Millions perhaps Billions of dollars on marketing and I don't remember the product the next time the commercial runs, let alone when the commercial is not running. How was it that this is an effective commercial? Arguments can be made that perhaps he and I were not in the target market, BUT I am sure we do know people that ARE in the target market and we have nothing to say to those people about the product. I don't have dentures, but know about the products.

So, how do you stick your message? Not easy, but not that hard either. First thing to acknowledge is you must stick with your tag line over time. McDonalds used this jingle for many years. Rhyming can be an easy way to get a message to stick.. "Nothing sucks like Elecrolux" or a real life universal truth, like "Nothing runs like a Deere". One of my favorites I use with my client who owns a coffee shop, "Smiles are always free". If you stick a catchy jungle to it, memories will ring. Until next time I am Larry "The Ad Man".

Ad design 101

Ad design is something that can impact your response dramatically. Taking the time to go over all the elements like you are a customer that has NEVER heard of your business can help you avoid critical mistakes. Playing it safe can also be risky if you are looking for an immediate response. A few helpful tips in designing an ad, whether it's online, in print, on signage, on radio or television. My examples will be print as that is what I do.

1. Awareness: When starting an ad campaign in a new medium, remember that you audience may not have heard of you. Awareness is what you want to create. Elements are simple, Business name, address, phone, website, Blog, Twitter, facebook, what your business does, what separates it from the competition and a tag line (slogan). A logo and a picture as well if not a radio ad. When adding your address consider the town or city you are in. MANY businesses forget this simple element and run ads with mediums that have reach beyond their own city. Also consider using ALL forms of communication.. If you don't have a Blog about your product, you might consider it as a VERY strong way to introduce someone to your business and product.

2. Action: Once you have established awareness in a medium, give those who are now aware a reason to come in. Ask yourself how many times you've said, "I've been meaning to shop there"? yet never get around to it. What would entice you to get there? A special? An event? a freebie perhaps?
3. Keep 'em coming: Now that they have visited your business and made a purchase, tell them why they need to continue to purchase. Remind your current customers that you still appreciate your business. In fact, if you can turn a once a month visit into a once a week visit, you stand to get 4 times the business. Not an easy proposition, but one to take VERY seriously when making a plan.

So keep these points in mind when putting together your advertising plan. Take the time to design and consider every element of your ad and spend some dollars to place them and let them work for you. Until next week, I'm Larry "The Ad Man".

Common Sense is not so common. Question "conventional wisdom."

Listening to my favorite radio show yesterday, brought back an old saying I like to use. Common Sense is not so common. Host Terry O Reilly speaks to Ageism in his weekly "Age of Persuasion" radio show, it is well worth the listen ( http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/episode/season-5/2011/05/28/season-five-ageism-in-advertising-1/ )  The main idea of the program is that the conventional wisdom of advertising that the focus and dollars be focused on the 18-34 demographic does not meet with the facts of the marketplace.

The dominance of market spending in the 18-34 demographic is always something that has troubled me. My common sense tells me that older people with life experience tend to make more money. Why would they not be a great target audience. More money, more leisure time, no kids... etc. Well, Terry explains with facts and figures why my "gut" or common sense has been right. 

While I encourage you to read Blogs (especially mine!), magazine articles, books and watch and listen to programs on marketing and advertising, I also urge you to question what seems to be conventional wisdom. My friend Stuart Crawford has written on this in online marketing terms ( http://www.mspmarketing.ca/biggest-msp-internet-marketing-myths-busted/ ) speaking to myths about online marketing.

A few of my favorite myths include advertising only in conventional media. "Your reach is maximized" one might say. Your message can easily be lost when competing with all the advertisers who want maximum reach. You also have reach waste. If your business is in North East Calgary, why advertise to those who live in South East, South West and North West Calgary. Will they travel to your business if there is a similar business closer? You might actually be helping your competitor, putting the thought of your product in mind to send them to your closer competitor.

The opposing view of forgetting conventional media and focus solely on the Internet and social media can also be an unwise strategy. The question that sets in over that strategy is how do I reach someone online who isn't already interested in my product? How do I introduce my product to people who don't know it exists? That is a VERY difficult process online.

A picture is worth 1000 words. VERY true and I use this often when I speak to clients. BUT you must make sure that picture fits the business. For example:

Would you not want to join this soccer league? Looks like fun doesn't it? This is a great example of good use of a picture. This one is worth 1000 words. However I wonder if you might know what this next picture is advertising?

So truthfully a great picture is worth 1000 words, a poor one needs 1000 words to explain. So armed with my 3 myths, my advice to question conventional wisdom, Stuarts 10 Internet myths and Terry's half hour radio program on Ageism, I hope your sense is now to question and not buy in to theories that may not be factual? even if they seem popular. Until next week, I am still Larry "The Ad Man"

Listen... Analysing for success

I have read many books and listened to radio programs on advertising and many times people are praised for their "brilliant" work or their slick strategy. Many times reality hits somewhere else. If you have ever watched Dragon's Den or Shark Tank TV shows you will see many great idea's that don't have success and other so-so ideas that do. I don't think the winners are any less brilliant than the losers, in fact, some who are unsuccessful are more brilliant. Some say it's timing? Easy to say, much harder to replicate. We've also seen in a recent general election in Canada, a cocktail waitress and university students elected to parliament. Did they run a brilliant campaign? I am fairly certain at least one other candidate was smarter and more qualified. One of them even had a trip to Vegas during the campaign. So why do some get so much media attention, while others don't? Why are some ads more effective than others?

So what is the magic bullet? The great elixir? The magic idea that will shoot your business into the stratosphere? I have been recently been convinced it's listening. Listen to your suppliers, your staff, and especially your customers and potential ones. Listen close, don't pay lip service, actually listen. Listening will give you all the answers you need to run a successful business and market it into the stratosphere. The key to listening and why most of us don't do it well, is to be able to listen to someone who doesn't agree with you. Someone who may tell you the honest truth. The Truth is what you want to hear, NOT your opinion coming back to you. If you were on the way to a television interview or an event full of 20,000 people, wouldn't you want someone to tell you your hair was a mess? Most won't. The Truth will help your business to succeed. Lip service will not. Once you have listened, make adjustments to your marketing and advertising plans. make a firm comitmnet to what others are telling you. Change your products if you have to. If customers are telling you they want a green version of the same product you carry, ask them how much more they would be willing to spend and bring it in for them. If you are loyal to them, they will be loyal to you.

If you look over the history of business you will see that it is not the business convincing the public to buy their product, but the product filling a need in the marketplace that makes a business successful. Sure marketing will help you keep your sales high, but no bad product, well other than the pet rock, has been successful without listening to the marketplace before launching the marketing campaign. Until next week, I am Larry "The Ad Man"