So many advertising choices

So little budget

What is advertising?

Advertising is

• Non-personal• Paid for• Identified sponsor• Sponsor-controlled • Intrusive• Persuasive

(emotional)• Investment

Advertising is not

• Marketing• Promotion• Personal

selling• Public

relations• Infomercials• Email • Trade shows

• Mugs and pens

• Classifieds• Yellow pages• Google

AdWords• Coupons• Live sampling,

demos

Strengths

• Complete control over message • Complete control over media

placement • Lower cost per prospect than direct

selling• Pervasiveness permits repeated

messages• Investment in product equity• Enhances competition

Weaknesses

• Non-responsive/interactive• Limited access to senses • Limited time/space for complete

info• Payback over time• Growing resistance by consumers

• Saturated and overwhelmed• Feel advertising is irrelevant to them• Want more regulation and limits• Interested in products that block intrusion

Which sort of advertising is

right for your business?

Which sort of advertising is

right for your customers?

You should be asking yourself…

You will waste your money if you don’t understand your

prospectGenerally• Where they live• Demographics• Their values• Opinions vs. behaviors

• Their choices• Money, time, energy

You will waste your money if you don’t understand your

prospectSpecifically• Wants and worries• Options they are considering • Steps to the decision• Considered vs. impulsive

• Influences• Personal experience, information, opinion-

leaders, rumors, friends, kids, mood, self-esteem, comfort level, risk, value, blogs…

Do not even think about advertising until you…

• Know what your prospects want• Understand how your

product gives them what they want• Have a “story” that will

connect the dots for them• Know when/where to fish

The media rep has one for you

If you don’t have a strategy

You will waste your money if

you don’t have a strategy• Objectives• Audience• Positionin

g • Messages• Budget• Timing• Evaluation

You will waste your money if

you don’t have a budget• Percentage of annual sales• Cost-per-person reached• Cost-per-person reached X

times• Cost-per-targeted person

reached• If you cannot afford to succeed

with advertising, use another tactic

Newspapers

• Advantages• Reach large number of people in area• Flexibility in ad size • Targeted placement in paper• Message available for re-exposure• Quick turn-around

Newspapers

• Disadvantages• Waste• Clutter• Poor production quality• Weak medium for image-building• Environment is price-promotion-oriented

• Short shelf life

Newspapers

• Questions to ask the media rep• Distribution (paid vs. subscription)• Readership demographics• Page position guarantee• Competitive exclusivity• Day of week

Magazines

• Advantages• More targeted than newspapers• High reader involvement• Good production quality• Smaller page allows smaller ads to “pop”• Good for image-building• Ads last longer without wearing out

Magazines

• Disadvantages• Clutter• Long lead times• Risk being overtaken by timing• Limited flexibility

Magazines

• Questions to ask the media rep• Distribution (paid vs. subscription)• Readership demographics• Editorial calendar• Competitive exclusivity• Page position guarantees

Radio

• Advantages• Portable• Creatively flexible• Theater of the mind• Stations provide

creative/production help

• Formats allow targeting• Type of audience• Day-part

• Rates often negotiable

• Radio rates stable over decade

Radio

• Disadvantages• Diffuse audience• Requires frequency• Gone with the wind• Interruptive• Background

Making radio work

• Repetition is key• Bunch ads together• Advertise when people are

listening• Spread message across similar

stations• Creative, captivating, memorable• Assume people will not write down

info

Radio

• Questions to ask the media rep• Audience• Stations with similar formats• Share (by quarter, day-part, program)• :60 vs. :30• Creative/production help• Reach and frequency• Cost to reach your target 5-7 times

Television

• Advantages• Broad reach• Targetable• Specific programs• Specific day-parts

• Sight, sound, motion• Image-building• Creative/production help from station

Television

• Disadvantages• Short ads• Best times often sold far in advance• Requires frequency• Gone with the wind• Interruptive• Background

• Good quality is expensive

Television

• Questions to ask the media rep• Audience• Share (by quarter, day-part, program)• Creative/production help• Reach and frequency• Cost to reach your target 5-7 times

Outdoor / Transit

• Advantages• Frequency• Low clutter• Build name-recognition• Quick communication• Good for targeting broad audience• Good for long-term visibility• Movable

Outdoor / Transit

• Disadvantages• Loss of detail• Placement is key

• For success…• Integrate with other media

Fliers / Posters

• Advantages• Targetable by location• Clutter• Build presence as “citizen”

Fliers / Posters

• Disadvantages• Placement is labor-intensive• Need cooperation of venue• Require maintenance• Clutter

Web advertising

• Advantages• Analytics making it easier to target• e.g., Facebook ads

• Sight, sound, motion

Web advertising

• Disadvantages• Old models don’t work• Intrusiveness• Interactivity

• User, not sponsor, in control • Hunter vs. hunted

Direct response(a bridge between advertising and

sales)• Advantages• Highly targetable• Personalizable• Flexible• Message• Timing

• Adjustable

• Measurable• Involving• Produces quick

results• Hide from competition• Relationship-building

Direct response

• Disadvantages• Escalating costs

• For success…• Use it only when you have a specific

behavior you want to stimulate• List + Offer + Design

Final thoughts

• Fish where the fish are• Use a rifle, not a shotgun

• Speak your target’s language• Talk about what matters to them• Integrate with other marketing

tactics

Final thoughts

• Set standards for production quality

• Support your positioning platform• Tell the truth• Know the law• Trademark, copyright law• FTC rules about words like “new”

Final thoughts

• Keep good company• The more differentiating your

message is, the less you need to spend on advertising

• Advertising is not an expense

--> It’s an investment