Making advertising work -- Rule #1 Don't be boring

Advertising isn’t popular right now. It CAN be spendy, but done right, advertising creates interest quickly. Doing it right means three things:

1) Right frequency
2) Right audience
3) Right message

Frequency means repetition. Once, twice, even three times may simply not be enough repetitions for a message to sink in.   Some studies recommend 9 or more repetitions.

Audience is about knowing who buys and showing up where they are.

And then we get to message. Here we mean both what’s said AND how it’s said. Your ad – whether on TV, radio, or the web, in a magazine or newspaper, or on a billboard -- has a split second to grab attention. Promising something that’s interesting to your audience is important. Doing it in an attention-getting way is even more so.

TRUE STORY: Once a manufacturer was disappointed with their ad response. We looked at their ads and said, “BORING.” There was nothing wrong or inaccurate about them, but there was nothing attention-getting either.

We began a new campaign that used fun, unexpected, but familiar images to sell the benefits of these products. Ad readership scores went up and so did inquiry rates.

Trying to bore someone into buying usually doesn't work.