Denver Search Engine Optimization |
Advertising Information |
links |
site map
|
Denver Search Engine Optimization |
Advertising Information |
links |
site map | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Lesson In Advertising From The Eighteenth Century
Back in the 1760s, the great Dr Samuel Johnson delivered himself of the dictum that 'promise, large promise is the soul of advertising'. It's a good thought, a great thought; and I contend that what was true then is equally true today. But it seems to me that modern advertisers are tying themselves into unnecessary knots in an attempt to reach audiences which they believe are becoming increasingly indifferent to their blandishments. Well, yes, markets are turning deaf ears and blind eyes, but they always have done, though not for the reasons generally espoused by the world's marketers. I am convinced that despite all the sophisticated research and marketing effort that goes into advertising these days, the real reason that markets are indifferent to advertising is because much of it ignores the many splendoured principle that people don't buy products, they buy the benefits of owning those products. Today, the great proportion of advertisers don't deliver sales messages, they tell what they hope are emotive stories with which the market can empathise, then they drop the product in as an afterthought, hoping that enough emotional cross-communication has been achieved for people to reach for their credit cards. That it doesn't and people won't has resulted in huge advertising budget cut-backs in the developed world in recent years. Only a manufacturer who has taken leave of his senses will throw even more money at a strategy that doesn't work. The strategy responsible operates under the title Emotional Sales Proposition (ESP), thought in some quarters to be an advance on the Unique Sales Proposition (USP) which, on the contrary, does actually work. What has been overlooked or, more likely, ignored, is that in developing the principle of the USP in the late 1950s, the brilliant Rosser Reeves was striving to replace an advertising strategy that had been in situ for 30 or so years and was fast running out of steam. What was the device he was hoping to supersede? Well, by any other name, it was the emotional sales proposition. I won't bore you with the detail, but if you'd like to find out more, you should lay your hands on Reeves' book, Reality in Advertising (MacGibbon & Kee - 1961). It could be an eye-opener. So, it's true - the one thing we learn from history is that we never learn anything from history. Let's go back to Dr Johnson. It's worth remembering that the kind of advertising old Sam was talking about in the 18th century was fairly innocuous and largely unexceptionable. It could be read in coffee- house flyers, in chapbooks and in rudimentary newspapers; and it consisted of sales messages as diverse as where to get your wig powdered and the date of the next public hanging at Tyburn. Even so, the products and services on offer were as important to the people of the time as mobile phones and computers are to us. In the human condition, nothing much changes. Our egos still need to be massaged and we are all in hot pursuit of happiness. Only our methods for achieving these goals, only our technologies, vary with time. So the next time you are tempted to commit advertising, think about Sam Johnson and give your market a reason for owning your product. A good reason. About The Author Patrick Quinn is an award winning copywriter with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh. He publishes a FREE monthly newsletter, AdBriefing. Subscriptions are available at: http://www.adbriefing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Custom LED Display Custom LED Display, as the name specifies, facilitate control anything with any message that you can think of, from hours of operation to daily specials. These are used by almost all industries like factory, banks, airports, universities, libraries, and many others. Brochures - The Ultimate Sales Tool "How brochures can help you stand out from the competition, close the deal, and even build repeat business."Most brochures are nothing more than a collection of a few pictures and a few details about a business. 5 Newspaper Advertising Myths Revealed What I'm about to reveal are myths that most people think are 'true.'They seem set in stone yet they are deadly to the advertiser. Electronic Score Boards Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has turned to Electronic score boards that not only look breathtaking from every angle and distance, but provide consistently reliable performance year in and year out.Different type of sports including athletics, track cycling, running events, street cycling and mountain bike, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving as well as inline skating, water polo, ball spots, motor sports, alpine skiing, cross country and biathlon are some of the areas where Electronic score boards perfect fits solutions for. 7 Essential Elements for Profit-Pulling Ads Advertising will make or break your business. It is crucial to your success that you learn to write great ad copy. Mortgage Marketing - Broadcast Advertising vs Direct Advertising Do you know how to design and deploy a marketing campaign?Even if your ad budget is small you should still plan and measure the results of you advertising. This process is the key to your ultimate success. Is there anything new under the sun? Heres how to find out if your bright idea is unique. "There's nothing new under the sun" is probably the one phrase no inventor wants to hear, seldom believes, and is always trying to prove wrong. However, moving too quickly to prototype stage and first disclosure can turn out to be costly for the inventor who doesn't take the time to find out if his or her invention is already patented. Online vs. Offline Advertising Let's face it. Email marketing and publishing have became very popular tool for promoting your business, especially in the USA. Avoid Being Vague We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily?on television and the radio, on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and other signs, and even at the bottoms and on the backs of receipts. The world is, indeed, a very noisy place. Just What Are Consumers Thinking? Research would indicate that consumers don't know what they're thinking. According to an article written by Jack Shimell (2002) for Quirk's Marketing Research Review, Consumers make their decisions and react to advertising based more on unconscious emotional processes than on conscious rational processes. Get Better Results from Your Advertising with a Disruptor When you spend money on an advertisement you want to get the best return possible. To do that you need to get people to STOP and LOOK at your ad. The Power of... You certainly must know that Many Big Marketers consider COPYWRITING to be the most important skill you need to be earning online.There's a lot of good copywriting around. Creativity and Getting Outside of the Box Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper? Wondering where in the world to start? I have a suggestion. Turn the page upside down. Should You Advertise on TV? When people discover my background in advertising, the questions flow. One of the most frequent questions is "Should I advertise on TV?"I can't answer that questions until I ask a number of questions first. Placemat Ad Advertising Starting a placemat ad business can create more business for you; free advertising and income all while helping other local small businesses advertise their business all at a reasonable price.This is an idea not new by any means, but it can prove to be very profitable to you if done right. The Principle Of Advertising Online Advertising online is very similar to advertising in any environment. You really are trying to get your message or your product out there by the most cost effective means possible. Advertising - Should You Be Advertising Your Services? You offer a reliable, quality service. You know that if more people knew what you can do, you'd increase sales. Why Most Advertisements Stink! Question: What do you think the most important part of any ad is? Your company name? Your telephone number? Your offer? Look at your own advertising. What stands out? What is in the largest print? If it's your company name or logo hold out your wrist so I can whack it with a stick. Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms? We already know this from our history books. If you want to make money today, you must first look back in time to the first time in history that a large portion of our country all tried to get rich at the same time in the same place. Five Characteristics of Highly Successful Advertising Have you ever spent a small fortune on advertising that generated disappointment rather than sales?Many small business owners have been down the road of flat advertising results and are at a loss when it comes to developing new ideas to improve the response to their ads.Whether you run ads in your local newspaper, your industry's top periodical or on-line, you need your investment in advertising to pay for itself, and then some, in order to justify its cost.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
