How Do You Begin an Advertising Campaign for 2011?
Posted on 13 December 2010 - 11:03 AM by Navigation | (0) Comments
Strong branding, imaging and messaging combined with strong audience research applied in the proper promotional formats is the key to advertising success for almost every company. Contrary to popular belief advertising agencies don’t have a magic wand they wave over the clients audience so that they all of a sudden want to purchase their product or service.
At the end of every year we get a flurry of phone calls and meetings from folks wondering how they should advertise in the next year. While many businesses want to advertise, few are actually ready to make the commitment it takes to launch a successful advertising campaign. It takes an adequate budget, a vision for success and a strong stomach. Contrary to popular opinion advertising agencies don’t have a magic wand they wave over the clients audience so that they all of a sudden want to purchase their product or service. Few are the examples of successful campaigns that happened because of an inexpensive jingle or a movie star seen using a product. The vast majority of successful campaigns happen because the advertiser was willing to commit to long term, creative advertising.
The advertising giant, David Olgivy once stated, “Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.”
As a campaign-oriented company we use a simple acronym: CPR. C = Creativity, P = Penetration and R = Repetition. We advocate and practice creative advertising properly placed in the market to achieve the highest audience penetration over and over again. It really is that simple. Strong branding, imaging and messaging combined with strong audience research applied in the proper promotional formats is the key to advertising success for almost every company.
The most common mistake happens when companies don’t have the budget to support the advertising campaign they want to do. We recommend a 5-10% budget (based on the previous years gross sales) for advertising. If you can’t afford it then you may need to depend on guerrilla marketing tactics until your budget can support an integrated and comprehensive campaign. When the campaign doesn’t first succeed, try, try again. Your audience is being bombarded by thousands of messages from thousands of companies every day. In order for them to recognize your company and message they must receive several “impressions” of your brand, product or service before they can make a decision. Additionally, your company must have a unique offering to distinguish itself from your competition. Price, quality and service are the big three, but don’t forget history, community involvement and location can sway your potential audience as well.
Whatever you do don’t give up. Don’t bunt, swing for the fences!
Best wishes to all businesses seeking a better 2011 and please contact us if we can help.
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