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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

Free Book Alert

If your business involves sales of any kind, the Internet is your best friend. You can now walk into an initial call armed with a remarkable amount of information on your prospect — industry trends, personnel moves, product lines, and more. The Internet can be an even better friend if you know some tricks and […]

Trying to Sell Without Selling

Thursday’s Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article about Unilever’s efforts to promote Axe deodorant by producing a television series called “The Gamekillers”. It details the sometimes contentious negotiations between Unilever — who wanted to make sure that viewers got the connection between the program and Axe — and MTV, who feared that an explicit […]