Portland advertising – Page 36 – Phil Bernstein's Advertising, Marketing, and Sales Training Blog

The Anti-Cliche Movement Strikes

Each year, the folks at Lake Superior State University ask the public to submit expressions that have become cliches. And on New Year’s Day, they issue a list of those expressions that are heretofore banned. More than 2000 cliches were nominated, and they’ve been whittled down to 23 used-up words and phrases.

Smart move on the part of their Public Relations staff — there must be thousands of college-bound students (and their parents), who only know that Lake Superior State University exists is because of this list.

Although most of the expressions on the list aren’t likely to be used in advertising, it acts as a timely reminder that “friendly and knowlegeable staff” should never be in your copy.

You can see the whole list here.

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I’ve written a white paper called The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them. It’s a study of some of the most common ways that companies waste their advertising dollars — along with suggestions to make those dollars work harder and smarter. Request your free copy here.

Cute Elevator Speeches

One of the mainstays of sales training is the “Elevator Pitch” — a 30-second summation of what we do that we’d give a prospect if we had the prospect trapped in an elevator. The idea is that when someone at a cocktail party asks what you do, you can respond with a succinct value proposition rather than just a job title. Which, in theory anyway, will pique the interest of anyone who might be a prospect.

For example, if a business owner asks what I do and I say I sell advertising, the conversation might be over very quickly. He probably hasn’t been dreaming about buying advertising. If, on the other hand, I say that I help local businesses find tell their stories, find more customers and make more sales, there may be something to talk about.

Over at the SW Washington and Portland Small Business Blog, Michael Thompson of Market Accelerators wonders if cute elevator pitches work.

No one in our group had a particularly cute one but we all could remember someone who did. You know the “I’m Rachel the Realtor and I’m Really Reliable” or “Harry the Healthy Heart Alternative or whatever. Some folks even dress the part with a particularly impressive hat or big flashing button — you know who you are.

It was interesting because we all could remember someone like that and often it turned out to be the same person. So obviously it works from a remembering point of view but none of us felt particularly like we would buy from someone like that. There was a hesitation for some reason.

I’m all for a memorable hook (I use “Portland’s Finest Media Rep”), but the problem with a cutesy rhyme is that it smacks of trying too hard. And the folks I’ve encountered who use handles like that are so pleased with the alliteration that they forget the rest of the value proposition. The best elevator speeches are like any other form of advertising — they tell potential buyers how the seller can solve a problem. Skip that part, and a rhyme isn’t going to save you.

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When People Complain About Your Advertising

“Most ads aren’t written to persuade, they’re written not to offend.” — Roy Williams

Not long ago an ad agency pulled a home improvement commercial off the air in Portland and Seattle because several listeners had called the client to complain about it. The client was concerned that he was offending potential customers, and the agency is now scrambling to come up with something else.

So what happens when some people don’t like your advertising?

Sunny Kobe Cook, whose relentless pitches for Sleep Country USA in the 90’s irritated thousands, once told a seminar audience that she would occasionally work behind the counter at one of her stores.

Customers would walk up to the counter after choosing a bed, hand her their credit card, and then do a double-take. She described the typical encounter like this:

Customer: You’re Sunny Kobe Cook!

Sunny: Yes, I am.

Customer (leaning forward, whispering): I hate your commercials!

“They’re standing in my store,” said Cook, “and making a purchase for a thousand bucks or more. I want everyone to hate my commercials like that!”

Cook annoyed people with her voice and relentlessness. Rob Christensen, by contrast, deliberately pushes the envelope of good taste. Christensen runs Apple Auto Sales of Charlotte, North Carolina. In his TV ads, he plays “Reverend Rob”, a televangelist who will “HEAL your credit.” They’re cheesy, poorly-acted, and have the ability to offend on multiple levels.

They also sell cars. You can watch one here.

According to Mike Drummond of the Charlotte Observer, Christensen has been running these ads since 1997. Viewers have complained, and some stations have refused to run the spots.

Christensen airs the commercials on stations who will accept them, and takes his money to the bank. “I’ve had people tell me they hate my ads — hate them,” Christensen told Drummond. “And yet they still bought a car from me.”

Roy Williams echoes the sentiment:

Ninety-eight point nine percent of all the customers who hate your ads will still come to your store and buy from you when they need what you sell. These customers don’t cost you money; they just complain to the cashier as they’re handing over their cash.

A caution is in order here: An annoying campaign may get you noticed, but you can’t forget to sell within the commercial. The Sleep Country and Apple Auto Sales commercials were more than just exercises in irritation. Each one contained a powerful sales message and a call to action.

But you shouldn’t reject an idea simply because some folks might not like it. They don’t have to like it — they just have to buy.

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Precisely-Targeted Advertising — Exhibit A

In the Men’s Room on the 300 level of the Rose Garden Arena in Portland — over a urinal — is a sign with this headline:

“You’re Back Again.”

The ad is for Flowmax, a pharmaceutical product for men with prostate-related urinary symptoms.

Dan Kennedy calls this “message-to-market match.” If you’re Flowmax, the people you’ll pay the most to talk to are men who need to pee. To reach those people — and only those people — you can’t do much better than the Rose Garden Men’s Room.

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I’ve written a white paper called The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them. It’s a study of some of the most common ways that companies waste their advertising dollars — along with suggestions to make those dollars work harder and smarter. Request your free copy here.

“It’s What You Say…

…multiplied by how many times you say it.”

Roy Williams

If you’re in charge of marketing your business, here’s something that won’t come as a shock: it’s harder to reach potential customers than it’s ever been. Attention spans are shorter, the environment is more cluttered, and your prospects have more ways to filter out your message.

• Voice mail and the Do Not Call list have greatly reduced the effectiveness of cold calling by phone.

• The Internet is turning the printed newspaper into a dinosaur.

• Digital devices like TIVO allow viewers to skip your television commercials.

All of this means that when you accomplish the difficult feat of gaining your prospects’ attention, you’d better tell a story that rewards their interest and moves them closer to doing business with you. The quality of your copy is the most important factor in this, and yet it’s often an afterthought once the media buying decision has been made.

Consumers, always a moving target, are now more elusive than ever. Your job is to get them to stop whatever they’re doing long enough for you to make your pitch. The success, or failure, of your efforts will ultimately come down to the two factors Roy Williams cites:

1.The copy – “What You Say”.

2. The strength of your advertising schedule – “How Many Times You Say It”.

While fragmentation has definitely become an issue, the fact remains that a radio commercial on a major station in Portland will still reach thousands of people at once. They will do their best to ignore you, but a compelling message, delivered steadily for a long period of time, will ultimately break through their filters and cause them to act.

You’d better make sure that the story you’re telling is relevant to your prospects’ lives. If it is, they’ll stop and listen. If it isn’t, they’re gone.

Here are some questions you should consider before writing your copy:

1. What problem is your customer having that you can solve?

2. What product or service do you offer that will solve that problem?

3. Why is your product or service the best choice to solve it? What evidence can you offer to support your claim?

4. How will your customers’ lives be improved when they’ve solved the problem?

5. What do you want your prospects to do after they’ve heard your message? Call your office? Visit your store? Log onto your web site? Define exactly what action you want them to take.

6. Why should they do it now instead of waiting for another time?

All of these questions need to be answered from your customers’ point of view – they will buy for their reasons, not yours.

Once you’ve answered those questions internally, make sure the person who writes your copy has access to them – and has access to you for any follow-up questions.

Fortunes have been lost by business owners who just told an untrained ad rep to “just bang something out.” Your copy — what you say – is too important to be left to chance.

If you’d like more on this topic, I’ve written a white paper called The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them. It’s a study of some of the most common ways that companies waste their advertising dollars — along with suggestions to make those dollars work harder and smarter. Request your free copy here.