And “The Best Advertising” Is…

My wife and I were having dinner with friends last night when our of the corner of my ear I heard one say “That is the best advertising!”

When I hear a statement like that I generally like to join the conversation. And I’m never disappointed in hearing some inane reason why that particular advertising is the best. Last night I chose to restrain myself and not join the conversation. After all, friends and I’d heard this particular friend’s “best” advertising many times, each time a different best. So why at 5:15 a.m. after a night of Valentine revelry did my mind decide to bring back the topic?

I don’t know but I wanted to sleep in.

I’ve hard all types of “the best advertising is” statements and mostly they are based on an isolated incident that brought notoriety to a business (read that as people saying “I saw/heard you on/in…..”) but never generated a measurable and sustained increase in revenue. And most of these expert opinions on the best advertising have come not from marketing and advertising experts but from people in other fields. In my youth I would immediately grab my sledge hammer and start bashing their argument deftly making my point as to why they were incorrect. And when asked what was the best advertising I would, depending on my level of maturity in my career either let them know that there is no best that advertising success depended on too many variables and was different for various businesses and industries, blah, blah, blah.

Yea, I was one of those guys. I can be pretty goo d at spouting all of the marketing mumbo-jumbo and often catch myself reverting back.

This morning my mind gave me what I believe is the definitive answer to “What’s the best form of advertising?”

An elated customer.

Not just a happy customer or a satisfied customer or a long time customer because for the most part these will rarely praise you to their friends and strangers in the checkout line at the grocery store.

An elated customer can not control themselves and will look for an opportunity to tell someone, friend and stranger alike, how great your business is. An elated customer will spread the gospel of your product with such fervor that others will come to you in droves. The elated customer will not allow them to do anything but come to you.

The Elated Customer, that’s your answer. That’s the best form of advertising. Now that you know it go start your campaign.

Thanks for your time,
Jeff

Think Before you Jump into Online Advertising

We have a large number of clients who advertise online. Most do some form of online advertising. Those who do not, yet, ask how, where and with what. My advise always starts the same. Be careful.

Online advertising has been the hottest thing for a decade, why not it’s new. Mobile is quickly replacing online ad the new glamor ad outlet but that’s another discussion. Online has seen huge surges in ad revenue, it’s new so why not, but for the most part those dollars have been flushed. We can chalk them up to research. Now it’s time to look at the data we have from 10 years of online ads and see where and how to best utilize our resources.

Let’s assume a web sire is already in you arsenal and that you are properly utilizing data gathering, stickiness, frequent visits, all the things that make a web site “great”. Now you want to advertise and drive traffic to your site. “Let’s put up some banners.” you say to your crew. The question is what type, size, format, where…

Please make sure your choice is representative of your product and company. Viewer perception will mean the difference between success and failure. Consider how you feel when you see different size and style banners. If you are designing your ads in house look at your competitors banners, look at the big boys ads, notice what banners cause you to click. If you are hiring an agency to work on your interactive campaign ask them why they are doing things the way they are. If they don’t give an answer you are comfortable with find someone else.

The new mantra for online advertising is bigger is better. Pushdowns, XXL Boxes, Fixed Panels are seeing greater clicks. Interactive ads that engage the user having them click on flip art and play videos are more popular and show increased user favor. Of course these are more expensive to produce than a 728 x 90 leaderboard.

Interactive advertising can be a valuable and integral part of your media mix, just be careful, it could also be the commode you send your dollars and time down if you are not careful.

Magazines More Effective Than Online or TV

The new study by Dynamic Logic showing that Magazine advertising is more effective than online or TV confirms something we are aware of. Only we forget.

Why do we forget? First advertisers like the idea and glamor of Broadcast TV. It’s a puff-out-your-chest moment when you can say I’m on TV or when someone says they saw you on TV.  Second, things we know often get pushed back in our mind. New information, more immediate information is laid upon foundational knowledge and we focus on the new.

It’s great to see research restating the known from time to time because we all need to re reminded.

Why is Magazine advertising more effective than online and TV? Think about the media. TV is a mass market outlet, expensive in nature with high production costs. Commercial are viewed by the user as interruptions, time to get a drink, go to the bathroom, change channels, skip with DVR, etc. Sure TV can be target by purchasing time in specific shows but you are still not pinpoint targeting and have to deal with the audience you purchased leaving while your ad is on. And, once your ad is done it’s gone.

Online is touted as the next great thing yet few have found profit in it. Ads are more annoying than Gary Trudeau infomercials and online trust is a major issue. I just battled a virus that infected my computer. The IT Security Specialist I hired to fix me up said I probably got the virus from a very well known site. It was not their doings that infected me by hackers, a common practice.

So all of those flashing noisy banners and things that float across my screen are a pain in my rear and I ignore them all I can. And I virtually never click on them.

Magazine ads are a bit different. Magazine ads are part of the content of the publication.  Products advertised are strongly associated with the subject matter found in the mag. Motorcycle parts are found in motorcycle mags not home decor pubs. The reader purchased the magazine knowing there are ads, they are not interruptions but overwhelmingly viewed as part of the information in the publication. And, each time a reader uses the mag they are exposed to the ads, that’s frequency.

I need to make something clear…Online and TV advertising are valuable and when done correctly can drive business. We just need to remember what we know, Magazines can target and generate sales, build brand awareness and give the most effective cost per person and dollar spent.

Thanks for your time,
Jeff

Social Media is Nothing New, Ask Any Local Business Owner

I sometimes have to chuckle when I read about the changing of marketing. I sometimes rant. This morning I can’t help but shake my head and wonder where people have been for the bast few decades. Social Media has been around for ever and yet it seems to be a new thing to most.

Those who has worked in local advertising understands Social Media. They understand the importance of customer contact contact on a personal level and the importance of telling a story. They understand shaking hands and networking whether it’s at Chamber events or from a booth at a local expo or fair.

The ingredients that have gone into successful Social Marketing for generations are the ingredients that are being espoused as new tactics on Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin and other social sites. Perhaps giant companies and agencies are so detached from the streets that they have forgotten. Or maybe they are so wrapped up in winning awards with their creativity that they lost sight that the 4Cs were always the important aspect of marketing.

“Long gone are the 4Ps of marketing, these are the days of the 4Cs, a customer centric approach that includes the customer’s wants and needs; the cost to satisfy the customer; the convenience; and communication.” Read the rest

If we haven’t been focusing on the customer all of these years what have we been?  It comes down to your marketing connecting with your customer has always and will always be the most important element to success. I don’t care how great your creative is or how much you spend if you don’t address your customer instead of yourself you are doomed.

Online Social sites have opened doors that we didn’t know existed but the same rules apply here as they do on the sidewalk of your own town. Be honest with your message, talk to your customer not at them, be fair, loyal and helpful and build a friend who will spread your word.

Growing Tends – Game Release Delays

Over the past four years we’ve seen more and more game release delays along with much lower advertising budgets.

Last year it was not uncommon for us to negotiate with an agency, have multiple ads scheduled only to have the budget slashed causing ad schedules to be sliced in half or cut entirely.In 2009 we are seeing fewer games and much lower budgets and release dates are being pushed back like never before.

Blizzard has announced that the StarCraft II release has been pushed to 2010. This follows Bioshock 2, Max Payne 3, Red Dead Redemption, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Heavy Rain, MAG and others in an ever growing number of game releases being delayed. Whether it is for development reasons or economic reasons it is a growing sign that gaming advertising is less reliable than in the past.

We have seen game advertising budgets sink 50% or more depending on pub titles over the past 5 years. Once a huge part of the ad scene gaming has been been replaced by publishing as the top ad revenue product category.  The trend will in all likelihood turn with the economy but we’ll never see the boom of a few years ago.

Damn the Torpedoes, Full Steam Ahead

The economy stinks. Well, for some.

What we often forget while peering at our own declining money pile is that recessions are the best time to gain market share. That puzzled look on your face is a common reaction. So is the “Oh yea.” I generally get when people hear the rest.

During down economic times more businesses pull their marketing back. Some cease completely. That means that there are fewer of your competitors vying for customers. The share of voice is cheaper. You will have to pay less to reach the same or more potential customers.

During the down time your sales may not grow but they will most likely decline slower than your non marketing competitors or even hold steady. The upside is when the economy turns up. You have been in front of the public and have a head start on the other guys. You have been talking to your customers and your competitors customers, many of whom have switched to you. If your service and product are better or comparable they will stay with you.

Businesses that continue to market themselves aggressively during recessions are stronger once the recession is over. They have a greater share of market.

Why write this now? Well, ad sales are sharply down for all properties I represent. They are down across all media. Also a note from a client turned friend gave me hope on a morning I was feeling sorry for myself.

“Despite everything that’s going on in the economy, I think that those of us that are continuing to move forward are going to find that success comes to those who refuse to fail and will eventually make their mark and accomplish goals. Taking actions get reactions. I think that if the economy stabilizes within the next few months we should be okay and things will improve.” Thanks again, Jeff. Dave Gamboa, Author -The Night They Came.

So crank up the engines,  full steam ahead. Give us your best shot because we’re moving forward and not stopping.

Thanks for your time,
Jeff Kight
White Dog Media Group