theRadio.biz blog

A Good Use of Billboards

2011-08-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

In future postings, I will go through the different media and share my thoughts on the best (and worst) uses for each medium.

I'll start with Billboards.

Billboards can be effective if used in the correct way. I recently saw a perfect use for a billboard so I had to pull over and snap a picture of it.

I know everything I need to know from looking at this billboard. If I was going to turn into the shopping plaza on the right and go to West Coast Video, I would clearly see the crazy kid on the billboard pointing to the other side of the street. Then, I could read the line "Now Across The Street" and could now make a left hand turn into the plaza across the street to find the new location of my video store.

Clear, simple, direct, great photo. That's how to use a billboard.

I won't embarrass any businesses by showing a poor use of billboards, but let me just put it this way. If you look at your billboard design on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper and think that it looks great, try this exercise...

Have someone take the sheet of paper and walk about 5 or 6 feet away from you. Have them hold the paper down facing away from you. Then, when you say "Go," have them hold up the paper to face you and count to 3 before turning the paper over again.

How much of that design did you see before the paper was turned over?

Keep in mind someone driving in their car only has a few seconds to see and react to your billboard. If it has too much text and that text is too small, it's just a waste of money.

Then, you have to consider placement. If the billboard is a "left hand read," (a billboard on the left hand side of the road) a driver is even less likely to comprehend your message. Keep in mind, they have oncoming traffic to deal with and your billboard is on the other side of the road.

Keep it simple when it comes to billboards. Directions are a perfect use for billboards ... "TURN LEFT AT NEXT LIGHT." Brilliant.

Just don't let a design team come up with something that looks great when you're looking at it on paper just a few inches away from your eyes, that will just get lost in the crowd out on the road.

Product Placement ... in Commercials?

2011-08-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new "Super Fan Nation" commercial from Old Navy?

If you haven't, check it out. And, when you're watching, pay close attention to the Auburn fan who shows up at the end with pizza.

Wow! Product placement for Dominos within the Old Navy commercial!

It got me thinking about how this could be done locally. Of course, the first thing you could do is go to the business next door and agree to promote each other in all your ads. "ABC Hardware, located right next door to XYZ Furniture on Main Street, Downtown." Followed by ... "XYZ Furniture, located right next door to ABC Hardware on Main Street, Downtown."

You could take it a step further in print, TV and on the web. For restaurants, why not talk to your local furniture store and ask that they have a family sitting around that new dining room set with take out food from your restaurant? You could agree to feed the staff once or twice a month to get the product placement in their ads. Another way a restaurant could do this is offer a business lunch for the staff x times per month in order to be called the "Official Restaurant of ......." Then, get the business to allow you to put up signs throughout their business to promote your restaurant. Offer them a percentage off their meal by showing their store receipt from the store you partner with.

You need to stay top of mind any way you can. These are some simple ways without spending the huge bucks that I'm sure Dominos did in order to keep your business top of mind even when someone isn't seeing or hearing one of YOUR commercials.

Does humility sell?

2010-11-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the new GM TV commercial? They use images of people failing, falling down, losing. You see Popeye sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Evil Knievel crashing after a big jump. You see the boys from Delta Tau Chi in "Animal House" down after getting kicked out of school by Dean Wormer. Then, you see these people pick themselves up, (Popeye eats his spinach, for example) dust themselves off and turn things around.

Finally, at the end the graphic says, "We all fall down. Thank you for helping us get back up."

My first reaction was that I was impressed with their humility. The bailout of the auto companies was obviously a very tenuous situation. Some say that this message might have been too little, too late.

Regardless of how you feel about GM overall, I think that this was the right way to go. Earlier ads had GM CEO Ed Whitacre boasting that they had paid back their loan ahead of schedule. This claim wasn't exactly true and caused a bit of a backlash for some. This ad doesn't talk about the bailout per se. It doesn't boast. It doesn't even sell product. It just shows images that we are all familiar with. Our familiarity with these images gives us a positive feeling because we know how all these scenarios play out. We know that Truman defeated Dewey, not the other way around.

So, when we get to the end of the commercial, (which is a :60, by the way) it has a "tugging at the heart strings" effect when they simply say, "Thanks."

I'm surprised that I haven't seen this commercial used more -- especially in this season of Thanksgiving.

Sometimes you don't have to sell a product. Remember, advertising is about creating an emotion. People make purchases -- especially automobile purchases -- based on emotion.

Think about your business. What are you thankful for? How can you use humility to create a positive emotional experience for your current and potential customers?

Nobody feels good about buying from someone who pounds their chest and says their the best.

Try being humble and see how it works.

Can convenience be BAD for business?

2010-05-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

I stopped to get gas the other day and almost fell over from amazement at what I saw at the gas pump. Right there, on the left hand side of the pump was a slot to feed cash into the pump! That's right...not just the ability to pay with a credit or debit card, but the opportunity to pay at the pump with CASH!!!

Of course, everybody knows that Convenience Stores don't make any money on the gasoline. They make their money by selling the highly marked up candy, snacks, cigarettes and of course, fountain drinks! So, why would you give someone the added "convenience" of using their cash at the pump and avoiding coming into the store?

I started thinking about all the things that have made our lives more convenient and wondering if they are actually hurting business.

Ray Kroc, who built the McDonalds empire, changed the way everyone does business with his famous line, "Do you want fries with that?" We all know that the easiest person to sell is a current customer. Once we have them, it's a lot easier to sell them again (and again). But we have to ask and we have to create the opportunities to sell them. Keeping them outside at the pump and not inside at the counter won't help to sell them anything else. Kroc understood that once he had them at the counter buying a hamburger, he could sell them fries and a shake too.

Why do you think that furniture stores set up their showrooms in a zig-zag pattern throughout the store and put the customer service desk at the far back of the store? It's simple...it forces you to walk through every display in the store, looking at items that you didn't intend on seeing when you just went in to make a payment or to ask a simple question.

What things do you use in the sales process that are "convenient," but not necessarily good for business? How about e-mail? e-mail is a very convenient way to communicate with our clients, but it's also an easy way for your client to say no or to avoid you entirely. "I don't think I ever received that e-mail," is a real convenient way to dismiss you. It's a lot harder for a business owner to say that they never received something when you actually went into their office, talked to them and handed a proposal to them. Nothing will replace face-to-face contact ... EVER. And if we continue to find ways to make things more convenient for our customers, we'll also lose more and more opportunites to sell them additional products and services.

Bring you customers inside from the pumps and never lose the opportunity to ask, "Do you want fries with that?"

Planning to fail?

2010-04-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was driving around the other day and drove past a building that has housed several restaurants in the past few years. There were construction trucks outside -- obviously another restaurant is going in.

I started wondering about how the people who were in the location before might have mapped out their business plan. Did they spend all their time (and money) on the decor inside the restaurant and no time at all on a marketing strategy? Sometimes I wonder if people actually sit down and plan to have non-distinct food that you can get anywhere and then plan to NOT tell anyone about it. Many restaurants that I see come and go spend lots of money redesigning the inside of the building. Then, they open up with an un-interesting menu. Finally, to top it all off, they spend next to nothing in marketing and advertising their non-descript, uninteresting restaurant. That they sit and scratch their heads wondering what went wrong when they go out of business is really laughable.

My feeling is that when you open a business - any business -- you need two things. 1) A niche, a unique idea and 2) A marketing plan. So many people open up a business with nothing distinct about it. Then, they will complain about how expensive it was to open the business and say that they can't afford to advertise. Believe me, you can't afford NOT to advertise.

If you're opening a restaurant, you either need to have really, really great food and the seed money to wait it out until your word of mouth brings in customers for you, or you need to invite people to come in.

What sets you apart in your business? How are you different? What makes you distinct? How are you letting people know about you? Are you staying in constant contact with your customers and potential customers? Are you doing everything you can to recognize your regular customers? Are you giving your regular customers any incentive to bring in their friends and spread the word about you?

When you're putting your business plan together, make sure that marketing and advertising is a big part of that.

Remember, that failing to plan is planning to fail.

Sensory Overload?

2010-03-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip to New York City. My hotel was at 7th Avenue & 49th Street, so every time I left the hotel, I had to walk through the "sensory overload" that is Times Square.

It got me thinking about what needs to be done to cut through the clutter in advertising for the typical small business.

There are billboards on top of billboards in Times Square. Most are now video boards. They flash, they light up, they're eye-catching. Some billboards are at the very top of the buildings. I don't even know who can see those except for people at the top of the other tall buildings.

There was a video billboard of a guy dancing in different cities all over the world. I saw that one multiple times in my few days in the city. I still don't know what it was an ad for. There was a static billboard for Sprite. I know that one because it featured LeBron James. I'm a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, so that one caught my eye and I remembered it.

I know that there was a lot of Samsung imagery, but the only product from Samsung that I remember was their new 3D Television that they are releasing. And the reason that I remember that one is because while we were walking in Times Square one night, there was a stage set up and thousands of people standing around. Soon someone came out and introduced the President of Samsung. He came out and welcomed the people. Then, James Cameron was introduced and came out on stage. He talked about how this new Samsung TV was going to revolutionize the home viewing experience. Then, the Black Eyed Peas were introduced and they came out and played 3 songs. After their set, they talked about how great this TV was and how "Avatar" was the greatest film of "ALL TIME."

My point is that people are bombarded by hundreds of messages every day. There are ads everywhere. We constantly face sensory overload.

So, what is going to cut through that clutter? I can guarantee that what WON'T cut through the clutter is cliche lines like, "serving your needs since 1945" or "friendliest staff in town." Boring!

Each time you sit down to write a radio or TV script or come up with a print ad or billboard, think about Times Square. If your ad was there, would it have a chance at all of being seen or heard?

If the only hook in your ad is about how great the service is, you'd better go back to the drawing board.

Or, see if the Black Eyed Peas will endorse you. I'm sure that'll work!

Sweat The Small Stuff

2010-02-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Sure. When it comes to the big picture, life and how to live it, I agree ... "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's ALL small stuff."

But when it comes to running your business or taking care of your clients, you MUST sweat the small stuff if you want to set yourself apart from the competition.

Let me explain...

I drive a lot. So, I have to get my oil changed regularly. Since I'm on the road a lot, my car is my office. I can't afford to have it sitting in the shop all day. Same goes for when I need an inspection or new tires. And, I won't go to a 15 minute quick-change type of facility.

The place that I take my car for service keeps my business because of their customer service. They really go above and beyond. If I ask to have my car done by 11am, they call me at 10:30am to say that it's done. If I set an appointment to wait on the car while the oil is changed, it's done within a 1/2 hour or so. If they encounter something outside the norm that needs to be done with my car, they call and explain it and tell me how much it will cost. They ALWAYS put the oil change and tire rotation reminder sticker in my window. It's a computer generated sticker - easy to read. And their phone number is on it too. So, when I notice that I need another oil change, the number is right there for me to call from my cell phone. Of course, I make that call when I'm parked in a parking lot and not from the road. :-)

Today, I had to take my car in for an oil change and I was going to wait on it as opposed to dropping it off. I handed my key over and went to sit in the waiting area. In their waiting area (which is very clean, by the way), they have a counter with a sink and a coffee maker. A cup of coffee sounded good right about then!

They have a small tray with hot cocoa packets, sweetener, sugar, creamer and stirrers. Everything is neatly arranged. The counter is clean. I put my coffee cup under the spout and pushed the lever to get my coffee. There was some coffee on the bottom that must have dripped and it got on the bottom of my cup. So, when I put the cup on the counter, I left a coffee ring on the counter. I quickly looked to my right and spotted a paper towel dispenser. I grabbed one, wiped up my mess and threw the paper towel away in the waste can under the counter.

Soon after finishing my coffee, I was informed that my car was done. It was parked right outside the door. They gave me my key. I paid the bill and was on my way feeling great about my experience. As I drove away, I looked up in the left hand corner of my windshield and there was my reminder sticker - inviting me to come back when my odometer hit the next number.

It got me thinking about small stuff.

What if there were coffee stains and sugar all over the counter? Would I have even bothered to wipe up the coffee the I got on the counter? What if the waiting area was loud? What if it was filthy? What if I waited there for 45 minutes and nobody ever came out to tell me that my car was done? What if I got in my car and the reminder sticker wasn't there? Would I feel good about going back there? You know the answers to all these questions.

Now, think about what you do as a business person. What "small stuff" do you do to set yourself apart from your competition. If you're an outside sales rep, do you send thank you letters to new customers? Do you remember if a client's spouse had surgery and remember to ask how they're doing the next time you see them? Do you show up when you're supposed to? Do you handle the things that your client asks you to handle?

If you own a business, do you recognize regular customers or is everyone just a number to you? What "small stuff" do you do to make the customer's experience a more pleasurable one? Do you do what you say? Under-Promise and Over-Deliver?

In business, you must sweat the small stuff. Because in the world of sales, it's the small stuff that makes ALL the difference.

The Wonderful World of Advertising Sales

2010-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

I recently saw a post in a forum from someone new to advertising sales. I read all the responses about what training materials to read/listen to/watch. And I chimed in with my two cents.

But, it got me thinking about my humble beginnings in the world of advertising sales and how scary it can be.

It also gave me the idea to add some thoughts and ideas to advertising sales reps to this blog in addition to my suggestions to small business owners (aka advertisers.)

Typically, when you are brand new to advertising sales, you get a list of names that other reps have never been able to get on the air, or clients who advertised once, 4 years ago. (The "Royal Lippanzer Stallions" was on my first "account list.") The sales manager says, "Here is your account list." Of course, account would mean that this business has actually done some business with the company before, right?

So, there you are with your "account list," the phonebook, your desk, your phone and a bunch of unfamiliar names and numbers.

What I would always suggest to new advertising reps is listen to what the others in the sales office are saying. If a veteran rep says, "Don't bother with that place. They'll never advertise," I would advise calling on that business right away! Typically, that means that the veteran rep screwed up the account so badly, that they don't want anyone to find out. A new rep can go in and be the hero.

I always talked to my sales staffs about what I called the "Grief to Dollar" ratio. You have to analyze this list of names that you received on your 'account list' and figure out which ones are going to be worth it and translate into Dollars and which ones are just names on a list and will cause you more Grief than they are worth.

The main task in those first few weeks was to just weed through this list of names and figure out what names were worth the trouble and what names were just filling space on the list. But you have to give it time. I always found that the "chickening out" period came somewhere around the 9th month. Maybe it's like giving birth, if you can make it 9 months, you might as well keep going and see how things turn out! :-)

After all, sometimes success in ad sales is just sticking around long enough!

Good luck and happy selling!

Taking Full Advantage

2010-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

The biggest frustration I've had over the years of selling advertising has been the reluctant business owner who claims that "word of mouth works just fine." My initial reaction to that is too say, "1955 just called and they want their advertising plan back!" Of course, I bite my lip and try to explain how things have changed in our world today.

Sales trainer Chris Lytle says that word of mouth advertising does work. The problem is that you can't control it and "bad" word of mouth advertising travels much faster than "good" word of mouth advertising. He makes the point, "When was the last time that you heard a good airplane travel story."

In today's advertising world, we have a much greater ability to control the message and we have more tools than ever before to do it.

That's where the "taking full advantage" part comes in. Does your business have a Twitter account? A facebook page? A website? Some type of customer appreciation program? Do you collect regular customer's e-mail addresses? Do you regularly ask customers how they heard about you and why they are a customer? Do you ever ask regular customers what you're doing right? Or what you're doing wrong?

Do you just "throw something together to get the word out" with your newspaper, radio or tv advertising or do you sit down and plan out what message you want to convey?

Once you bring the customers in, are they getting the experience that you advertised inside your business? Or are you making false claims?

I've always said that there are some people who are in business in spite of themselves. Put a plan together and work the plan. Take full advantage of the opportunities out there and set your business apart from the crowd.

Or, you can sit on your hands, put up your sign outside your door and just "wait." That's what word of mouth advertising is ... "just waiting for people to come in."

Take full advantage. Seize the customers and watch them pour in through your doors.

Predicting the Weather

2010-02-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

Easier said than done, right?

Well, here in the Northeast, we've gotten walloped over the last week with some major snow storms. The exact amount of snow can't be accurately predicted, but we did get a range with regard to the snowfall amount.

And, we knew that something was coming.

It got me thinking about placing radio, tv and print ads -- and even social media -- in bad weather situations.

So, you know that a major storm of some kind is coming to your area in the near future? Why not call your local TV and Radio stations and place some ads to be on the airwaves the morning of the big storm. People will be watching and listening intently to hear if school is cancelled and what is closed down. If the storm happens on a weekend, I'm sure you could even get a "deal" to load up the airwaves on Saturday or Sunday morning during the storm.

Then, after the storm, have an ad ready to go into print. People will be picking up the papers to find out the total amount of snowfall, see pictures of the damage or people digging themselves out. Maybe you can tailor your ad to give a "now that the storm is gone, come to XYZ Business for all your ...... " (You get the idea.)

Now, on to Social Media. When the storm hits, and things are shut down, what do people do? They stay inside. They check facebook, Twitter, their e-mail. Even if they are at work, things tend to move a little slower when there's a snowstorm outside. So, they're probably more likely to be surfing the internet even though they're at work.

Think about that prior to your next big storm. Instead of rushing to the grocery store to stock up on bread and milk, put your ad plan together and reach your potential customer while the getting's good!

Creating a "SUPER" buzz?

2010-01-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

With all the hype of the Super Bowl going on now, sometimes the game gets overshadowed by the commercials. This year, there have been several controversies already.

There's the Tim Tebow anti-abortion ad sponsored by Focus On The Family. Then, there's the Gay Men's dating internet site. And, I just noticed that one of the Go Daddy commercials was banned by Super Bowl.

Of course, seeing "Banned" across the video feed, I had to check it out. The commercial tells the story of a former football player who now goes by the name "Lola." He's now in the women's lingerie business and gets his domain name through Go Daddy, etc., etc.

There's really nothing bad at all about the commercial. But, now the "buzz" created by the commercial getting "banned" will probably create a bigger stir and result in more people going to the Go Daddy website to view it.

That's a good lesson in marketing and advertising. Whether or not P.T. Barnum said it, the old adage, "It doesn't matter what they say about you, as long as they spell your name right." does hold water. People will talk about these "banned" commercials probably more than they will about the ones that actually air in the Super Bowl -- unless the ones that air in the Super Bowl are really out of this world.

There's another quote attributed to P.T. Barnum that is brilliant. "Without promotion something terrible happens ... nothing!"

Businesses need promotion. LOTS of promotion. It's not enough to open the doors, throw up a sign and hope for that "word of mouth" advertising to bring people through your doors in droves. That means print, radio, tv, social media, press releases and shouting from the rooftops.

Does your business ever do anything that might be "newsworthy?" Do you ever try to tell anyone about it? Do you post to websites and write letters to the editor of your local paper using your business name? Sometimes people are so worried about offending that they don't do anything that they feel might be controversial.

Create a buzz. When you go to a sporting event, the only way to make it on the Jumbotron is by creating a spectacle of yourself. If you sit on your hands, it's just like P.T. Barnum says .... nothing will happen.

Our New Way of Life

2010-01-06T15:49:00.001-08:00

I had a real "revelation" moment the other day. I traveled about 2 hours away from my studios to do a mobile recording for a client. I went into his office, set up my laptop and USB Mic and did the recording in about 10 minutes.

When I finished, I went to a local Cafe with free wireless internet. After getting a cup of coffee, I set up my laptop, put on my headphones and I edited the audio. Once the editing was complete, I e-mailed the files to the production house where they needed to go. I packed up my laptop, grabbed my cup of coffee and was on my way.

Once back on the road, I passed a potential client that I wanted to cold call. The potential client has numerous locations and I wasn't sure if the decision maker was in that location or not. So, I called a contact at another one of their locations and asked him where I might find the decision maker. He told me which location and what street it was on.

After hanging up, I got on the internet on my iPhone and searched for the location. Once I found the exact street address, I plugged it into my GPS unit and I was on my way to cold call my new prospect.

Ok, so that was a long-winded story. You're probably saying, "What's the big deal? I do stuff like that all the time!"

Well, it really got me thinking how our lives have changed. Imagine that same potential sales opportunity even 5 or 10 years ago. It may have involved asking for directions or stopping at a pay phone and finding change. It may have involved stopping into a business and asking for a phone book.

Point is, things have really changed. But, have we really changed the way we market our business? I still see and hear advertisers doing the same old thing and promoting themselves the same old way.

Think about how we do things these days. We're a whole decade into the new Millennium after all!

Don't give your potential customer the same old cliches and tired old rhetoric. Embrace the new way of doing business and make it easier for your potential customer to find you.

Oh ... gotta go .. getting a text message. :-)

Keeping Up The Momentum

2009-12-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

The talk of the sports world today was the issue of Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell benching several key players (including Peyton Manning) in the 3rd Quarter with the team up just 5 points on the New York Jets.

Of course, you know how this story turns out... The Jets come back and the Colts reserve players are no match for the Jets starters. The Final Score? NY Jets 29, Colts 15 ending the Colts perfect season.

It got me thinking about momentum. We're winding down the busiest time of the year for most retailers. National reports say that retail shopping was up over 3% this year.

Many retailers will "pull their starters" and "lay low" for January. Some will say that "nobody shops in January anyway, so why waste the money."

This is the time that you need to keep the momentum going. The economy may be picking up, but it's certainly not where we need it to be. We're coming out of a decent Holiday shopping period. Many people received money or gift cards as gifts.

INVITE THEM TO YOUR BUSINESS!!! Why lose the momentum that has been built up in November and December by completely falling off the face of the earth in January?

I can guarantee you this... Many of your competitors will be off the airwaves and out of the newspapers in January. So, this is your chance to keep up that momentum, keep your business top of mind with consumers and keep that winning streak intact!

By the way, there's no research that shows that resting your starting players improves your chances of winning in professional football. Keep playing! In business, there is no off-season and no time to rest!

"Celebrity Endorsements"

2009-12-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

So, Accenture is the first company to drop Tiger Woods as their spokesperson. It got me thinking about companies that use celebrities to promote their product or service. I mean, do we really rush out to buy a Gillette razor, Buick or Nike product because Tiger was in their commercial?

Now, if Tiger is pushing a product to make you golf better, I'm all over that. I mean, he is the world's greatest golfer afterall!

Obviously, these companies are selling the image of Tiger Woods. They're trying to associate the image of Tiger with their product.

On a local level, businesses will sometimes use a local "celebrity." Maybe the local TV newsman or sportscaster. Typically, these "celebrities" will have to introduce themselves, particularly in the radio commercials. The typical viewer or listener doesn't pay as much attention as a media critic like me. So, they're probably spending more time trying to figure out who this "celebrity" is and paying no attention to the meat of the message.

Unless it makes sense and/or the "celebrity" is truly a bona fide celebrity, avoid using local endorsers. Spend your :30 or :60 selling your product, educating your potential customer and giving the listener or viewer a call to action. Don't waste time having your spokesperson explain who they are and why they are famous. You really have to ask yourself if the image of this local celebrity is really enough to carry over on to the product to help it sell. Or, do they really have an image that's strong enough to evoke a positive reaction from the potential customer.

Time will tell how many other companies drop Tiger Woods. Time will also tell how many other companies will start to drift away from using celebrities to push their products.

Instead of using a local "celebrity," how about the owner of the business doing the commercial? To me, that is much more memorable than a voice or name that might be known for something else.

Explain it to me like I'm a 4-Year-Old

2009-11-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

Remember the great line from Denzel Washington in the movie Philadelphia? His character, Attorney Joe Miller, while trying to understand the situation from his potential client, Andrew Beckett (played by Tom Hanks), says, “Now, explain it to me like I’m a Four-Year-Old.”

The same concept needs to be applied to copywriting for radio and tv.

Don’t lose your potential customer in a lot senseless industry jargon. That’s what I hate so much about co-op ads -- especially from car dealers. We get so caught up in getting all the “legal” mumbo-jumbo in the ad, that there’s not much time left to try and draw in the customer. I just heard an ad for an Insurance Agent recenly that spent about :15 seconds of the :30 second ad running down his accreditations. It didn't mean anything to me -- just a lot of acronyms!

Let’s take buying a car for example. Granted, sometimes you have to educate your consumer. But, there are other times that you just have to let the emotion do the work for you.

You’re not going to logically explain to someone why they need a flashy, red convertible sports car. In that case, you have to “explain it to them like they’re a four-year-old” and they will respond.

There’s no need to try and use logic to sell a sports car. Talk about the “wind in their hair” and how it will make them more appealing to the pretty girls as they drive down the street.

Explain it to them like you’d explain that you just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies to a four-year-old and they’ll come running. Heck, a 44-year-old or 84-year-old will come running if you make a batch of cookies.

The classic “hooks” that work when we’re four, still work at 44, 64, 84, 104 .....

So, explain it to them like your audience is a group of four-year-olds and watch ‘em run!

Do You Speak The King's English?

2009-11-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

You may have heard the phrase before .... 'Does he speak the King's English?' Do we even know what that means anymore?

I do Television and Radio VoiceOvers and Advertising Jingles. Maybe I'm a bit more sensitive to how we speak, but I feel that in this electronic age, our speech has gotten lazier.

It's one thing when you are just talking to friends, but now I'm noticing this "lazy talk" more and more in advertising. Sure, you hear things in local radio or tv advertising that make you cringe, but now I'm hearing it more and more in regional and even national advertising.

"Your" has become "yer." "Our" sounds the same as "are." I've been noticing the way some announcers say "forward" now. It's become "foeward." A new one that I'm noticing - especially with younger generations - is in the pronunciation of a name like "Patton" which has now become "Pat'n."

In my face to face meetings with clients, I almost feel weird now if I say, "Here's what I am going to do for you" as opposed to "Here's what I'm gonna do fer you."

Maybe I'm old school? Is it elitist? I just feel that if we're going to spend the money to promote our business on broadcast media that we should ask the announcer to "annunciate" and pronounce words correctly. I would argue that it's just about maintaining a standard. It has nothing to do with regionalisms. It's just pronouncing the words with all their syllables intact.

It seems that we're getting so far away from the King's English that the Court Jester is doubled over in laughter. lol

SALE! SALE! SALE!

2009-11-23T05:21:00.001-08:00

So, I see that Old Navy is starting their Black Friday sale at 3AM. Really? 3AM? Are the deals that great that we need to wake up in the middle of the night to get them?

Have you ever left early for a trip and you have to leave in the middle of the night to get the airport? Do you ever notice the types of people you see wandering around town at 3AM?

I've always been leery of "Sale" advertising anyway. Unless you don't normally run sales, I'm more of a proponent of telling the customer why they should buy you over your competition and not basing the relationship strictly on price.

It's like when you're planning on buying a new suit. Why would you buy it on a Tuesday when you know the major department stores are going to have a one-day or two-day sale this weekend?

Tell the customer why they should shop you. Make them fall in love with you. And, please, let them sleep in!