What are the keys to effective advertising?

I was driving through town this morning, and I noticed a sandwich board sign. The owner of the sign had created an elaborate logo with white lettering. The only problem was that the logo was so complicated that you couldn't read it, and the writing was white on a light background. If I hadn't slowed down, I wouldn't have known what the sign was advertising. It was completely ineffective.

If you're going to do print advertising, video, billboards, post cards or similar style advertising, there are a few things you need to think about before you settle on an end product.

• Keep it simple. If you were alive in the 80s, you probably remember Wendy's Restaurant advertising campaign. There was one line in their advertising that weaved its way into our language, and some people still use it today. "Where's the beef?" On January 10, 1984, Clara Peller became a household name because of those three words. Simple.
• Keep it visual. The Wendy's commercials left a lasting image in the mind of its viewers. Again, Clara Peller could be picked out of a line-up of 100 people. It was simple, but it was also visual. You immediately saw a wimpy burger compared to a voluptuous burger, and a short silver-haired lady became your burger tour guide.
• Keep it short. People don't have time to dig through advertising to find out what the point is. I don't know how many times I've watched a TV ad only to question, "What are they selling?" A 15 second commercial can be more effective than a 1 minute commerical if it's done well. The Wendy's commercial was short and to the point. All Clara Peller had to do was say, "Where's the beef," and you immediately knew what she was talking about. Simple, visual and short.
• Keep it pithy. The "Where's the beef," line was pithy. Saying, "We use higher quality USDA first choice beef. Our cows are free range grass feed for the purest experience for our customers. Our competitors use hormone laden grain feed beef. If you want a lucsious juicy burger, come to Bob's Best Burgers." Boring, but many try to separate themselves from the competition by extolling their quality over a competitor. It might be true, but it's not pithy. Customers will be asleep by the end of the commercial. I love Kat Palmiotti's new tag line on her blog. She is "The House Kat." That is pithy, and it's also clever. Simple, visual, short and pithy.
• Keep it clever. People like to be entertained. The Wendy's commercial was entertaining. The image of a group of senior citizens sitting around looking for the burger on their hamburger buns was humorous. It was clever. During that period, Wendy's ruled the air with their clever, pithy, short, visual and simple ads. I remember ads that make me laugh. I mute ads that annoy me.
• Keep it evolving. If you hit a home-run with one ad, don't assume that you created a client base. People want a regular diet of good food, and your advertising can be used to feed their senses and keep them engaged. Most companies get a great idea, beat it to death and disappear into the background. Geico is a great example of a company that is constantly trying to up the anty of their marketing. They've had some real duds, but they keep changing to keep customers engaged. Progressive Insurance has followed a similar path. Keep it simple, keep it visual, keep it short, keep it pithy, keep it clever and keep evolving and you'll be head shoulders above the competition. 

Advertising is a great way to build a life-long customer base, but if customers don't know what you're selling you're just waisting money on things that don't produce the desired result. Keep it, simple, visual, short, pithy, clever and evolving and customers will come along for the ride. 

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Mike Cooper @ Cornerstone Business Group, Inc., 888-722-6029

 

Real Estate Sales and Property Management         

 

(Disclaimer:  All grammatical mistakes, punctuation breakdowns and misspellings are purely for your amusement and entertainment.   Feel free to cackle.)