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Part III Creating and Placing Ads 15_578391 pt03.qxd 12/28/04 9:08 PM Page 133 In this part . . . W hen it comes to advertising, the money can really fly. Part III puts you in the pilot’s seat, arming you with advertising terminology, ad creation guidelines, and media selection advice that will help you steer your adver- tising investment to a successful takeoff. Consider the next three chapters to be your guide to navi- gating the world of advertising, complete with everything you need to know to create and place ads that work in print, broadcast, and outdoor media. 15_578391 pt03.qxd 12/28/04 9:08 PM Page 134 Chapter 10 Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning In This Chapter ᮣ Using advertising to move the market to action ᮣ Choosing the best media for your business ᮣ Creating ad schedules A dvertising is the stand-in mouthpiece for your business in the market- place. It goes where you can’t — carrying your message into the homes, offices, televisions, computers, mailboxes, and car radios of your prospects and customers. When it is successful — when it is creative, entertaining, under- standable, and compelling — advertising goes even farther. Great advertising goes right into the minds and hearts of customers, which is where brands live and thrive. Contrary to popular belief, though, great advertising rarely makes the sale for your business. Advertising paves the way, but the sale happens later, after your prospect is motivated by your ad to call or visit your business, request more information, or buy your product. This chapter offers the information you need to set reasonable expectations for your advertising and to make wise media selections and placements. The field of advertising is baffling and complex, but the following pages should make it feel a whole lot less foreign. Moving the Market through Advertising Ask any small-business person what advertising is and you’ll probably hear the word expensive somewhere in the answer. That’s because advertising is the means by which businesses, organizations, and individuals buy their way into prospects’ minds. 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 135 By definition, advertising is how businesses inform and persuade potential and current customers through messages purchased in various media such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, outdoor boards, and Web sites. Image versus product advertising Marketers talk about brand advertising, product advertising, promotional advertising, call-to-action advertising, and other terms capable of setting your head spinning. Basically, ads fall into two categories: ads that promote a company’s image and ads that aim to prompt a consumer action, as described in the following two definitions: If an ad’s sole purpose is to build awareness and interest, it is consid- ered an image ad. Image ads are also called brand ads or institutional ads. If an ad’s sole purpose is to present an offer and prompt a correspond- ing action, it is considered a product ad. Product ads are also called promotional ads, response ads, or call-to-action ads. Image-plus-product advertising — the have-it-all approach Brand advertising is an indulgence that many small businesses, who need every ad to deliver a measurable prospect action, can’t afford. Yet call-to- action advertising works best if the prospect already has a favorable impres- sion of the company — achieved through brand advertising. It’s a classic catch-22, but one with a good solution. Instead of choosing between brand ads and product ads, choose total- approach ads that build brand awareness, present your offer, and prompt consumer action. To create ads that do double and triple duty, follow these steps: 1. Establish a creative strategy to reign over the creation of all ads, brochures, and communications in your marketing program. See Chapter 7 for step-by-step advice on how to define a creative strat- egy and uniform look for your communications — and how to build a strong brand image as a result. 2. Establish a creative brief to guide the development of each new ad or other communication effort. 136 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 136 See Chapter 8 for a sample format you can follow before launching the preparation of any new ad. 3. Hand both your creative strategy and your creative brief to those who will produce your ad. Insist on materials that fit your image and meet your advertising objec- tives. That way your ads will build your brand while promoting your product, which is like having your cake and eating it, too. Talking to the right people The great advertising executive Fairfax Cone once said, “Advertising is what you do when you can’t go see somebody.” You wouldn’t spend your business days calling on people who aren’t able or likely to buy your products, and you shouldn’t spend your money advertising to unlikely prospects either. Before committing dollars to advertising, know your prospect and do everything you can to talk to only that kind of person. Your prospective customer is ߜ Someone who matches the profile of your best existing customers. (See Chapter 2 for information on profiling your customers.) ߜ Someone who wants or needs the kinds of products or services you offer. ߜ Someone who can easily access your business, whether by a personal visit or by phone, mail, or Internet contact. ߜ Someone able to purchase from you, by reason of financial ability or ability to meet any qualifications required to buy or own your product. The Internet allows you to serve people all over the globe. But before you consider the world your market, turn to Chapter 16 to assess whether you offer the kind of product people will reach through cyberspace to buy. Creating Ads That Work Good ads grab attention and lead consumers exactly where they want to go: ߜ Good ads present what the prospect wants to buy. ߜ Good ads present offers that are sensitive to how and when the prospect wants to buy. ߜ Good ads affirm why the prospect wants to buy. 137 Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 137 Good ads persuade, convince, and nudge prospects into action, all without any apparent effort. They meld the verbiage with the visual and the message with the messenger so the consumer receives a single, inspiring idea. Creative teams will tell you that making an ad look so simple takes a lot of time and talent — and they’re right. If you’re spending more than $10,000 to place an ad or more than $100,000 on annual media buys, consider bringing in pros to help you out. Bringing in the pros Chapter 9 offers advice about hiring freelancers or an advertising agency to rev up your creative horsepower. For ad production, here are the resources you’ll most often rely upon: ߜ A copywriter writes the headline and motivating copy or, in the case of broadcast ads, the ad script. This person needs to be a good communi- cator who is capable of writing simply, clearly, and directly to your target prospects, using a single-minded approach to grab and hold the prospect’s attention and to achieve the ad objective. ߜ A designer arranges your ad so that it is visually appealing, using a layout that draws the viewer’s eye to the correct starting point before guiding it with effortless movement through the ad elements. ߜ A producer is necessary if you’re creating a radio or television ad, a video, or a multimedia show. The difference in quality and impact between do-it-yourself and professional productions is big and undeni- able. Your TV station or cable company can produce your ad, but realize that in return for low production costs, you’ll need to bring your own creativity to the task to avoid ending up with an ad that looks and sounds like all the other station-produced creations. Starting the creative process Ease into the creative process with these ideas: ߜ Review your positioning statement (see Chapter 7) and your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. Your USP defines your competitive advantage. It describes the distinct benefit that consumers receive only by buying from your business. It is why your business is capable of drawing atten- tion, distinguishing itself from your competition, and winning prospect buying decisions and customer loyalty. ߜ List good things you’ve heard customers say about your product. 138 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 138 ߜ Recall words that you use during sales presentations. ߜ Dig around for every product fact and figure you can get your hands on. Buried in the details may be the item that unleashes a winning concept. ߜ Define the kinds of people who won’t want your product. (Defining non- buyers is a good way to uncover things about those who will buy.) ߜ Think of why a prospect will want to take action. Imagine a likely prospect and consider that person’s perceptions, desires, and needs. ߜ What do you want people to do after seeing this ad? Do you want them to feel differently, to tell a friend, to pick up the phone, to ask for more information, to purchase the product? Landing on the big idea The big idea is to advertising what the brake, gas pedal, and steering wheel are to driving. (See why they call it big?) Here’s what the big idea does: ߜ It stops the prospect. ߜ It fuels interest. ߜ It directs prospects toward the desired action. “Think Small” is an historic example of a big idea. Volkswagen used it to stun a market into attention at a time when big-finned, lane-hogging gas-guzzlers ruled the highways. “Think Small” — two words accompanied by a picture of a squat, round car miniaturized on a full page — stopped consumers, changed attitudes, and made the Bug chic. Big ideas are ߜ Attention-getting ߜ Memorable ߜ Compelling ߜ Persuasive ߜ Capable of conveying the benefit you promise ߜ Appealing to your target market An idea qualifies as a big idea only if it meets all the preceding qualifications. Many advertisers quit when they hit on an attention-getting and memorable idea. Think of this: A slammed door is attention-getting and memorable, but it’s far from compelling, persuasive, beneficial, or appealing. 139 Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 139 Brainstorming Brainstorming is an anything-goes group process for generating ideas through free association and imaginative thinking with no grandstanding, no idea ownership, no evaluation, and definitely no criticism. The point of brainstorming is to put the mind on automatic pilot and see where it leads. You can improve your brainstorming session by ߜ Flipping through magazines and newspapers for inspiration. Pick up copies of Advertising Age and AdWeek (available at newsstands and in most libraries) for a look at the latest in ad trends. Also include fashion magazines, which are a showcase for image advertising. ߜ Looking at competitors’ ads. ߜ Looking at your own past ads. ߜ Thinking of how you can turn the most unusual attributes of your prod- uct or service into unique benefits. ߜ Doodling. Ultimately an ad is a combination of words and visuals. See where your pencil leads your mind. ߜ Widening your perspective by inviting a customer or a front-line staff person to participate in the brainstorming session. If you’re turning your ad creation over to a staff member or to outside profes- sionals, you may or may not decide to participate in the brainstorm session. If you do attend, remember that there is no boss in a brainstorm. In a brain- storm session, every idea is a good idea. Bite your tongue each time you want to say, “yes, but . . .” or “we tried that once and . . .” or “get real, that idea is just plain dumb.” At the end of the brainstorm, gather up and evaluate the ideas: ߜ Which ideas support the ad strategy? ߜ Which ones present the consumer benefit? ߜ Which can be implemented with strength and within the budget? Any idea that wins on all counts is a candidate for implementation. Golden rules Chapters 11–13 focus specifically on creating and placing print, broadcast, and direct mail ads. The following rules apply to all ads — regardless of the medium, the message, the mood, or the creative direction: 140 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 140 ߜ Know your objective and stay on strategy. ߜ Be honest. ߜ Be specific. ߜ Be original. ߜ Be clear and concise. ߜ Don’t overpromise or exaggerate. ߜ Don’t be self-centered or, worse, arrogant. ߜ Don’t hard-sell. ߜ Don’t insult, discriminate, or offend. ߜ Don’t turn the task of ad creation over to a committee. Committees round the edges off strong ideas. They eliminate any nuance that any member finds questionable and crowd ads with details that matter more to the marketers than to the market. An old cartoon popular in ad agencies is captioned, “A camel is a horse designed by committee.” Capturing Prospects with a Media Plan It’s a harsh reality that many prospects disappear on the route between your advertising and your cash register (for proof, see Chapter 17). But with a strong media plan, you can increase the number of prospects you bring into your sphere of influence — and almost as an automatic result you’ll increase your number of new customers as well. Make media decisions based on answers to these four questions: ߜ What do you want your ad to accomplish? If you want to develop general awareness and interest, use media that reach a broad and general market. On the far end of the spectrum, if you want to talk one-to-one with those who have expressed interest in your product, you’ll want to bypass mass media in favor of direct mail or other one-to-one communications (see Chapter 13). ߜ Who and where are the people you want to reach? When it comes to advertising, trying to be all-inclusive is a bankrupting proposition. The more precisely you can define your prospect (see Chapter 2), the more precisely you can choose your media vehicles. 141 Chapter 10: Mastering Advertising Basics and Media Planning 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 141 If you know that your prospects are teenagers, you can ask publications or stations to describe what percentage of their circulation or audience reaches that age group. If your prospects have a particular interest — maybe they snowboard, own pets, or drive SUVs — ask for a demonstra- tion of how the medium under consideration reaches that target group, and which sections or programs capture the highest percentage of people with that affinity. ߜ What are you trying to say, and when do you need to say it? If you need to show your product in action, use television or perhaps print ads that allow for clear reproduction of a series of photos. If you have a tremendous amount of explaining to do, you’ll probably rule out radio or television, where you’re timed by the second. If you have a very immediate message, such as a one-week special event, steer away from monthly magazines that are in circulation long after your offer is history. ߜ How much money is in your media budget? Set your budget before planning your media buy. Doing so forces you to be realistic with your media choices. By following this advice, you also save an enormous amount of time because you don’t have to listen to media sales pitches for approaches that are outside your budget range. The media menu Mass media reach many people simultaneously. Advertisers divide mass media into four traditional categories and one new category: ߜ Print media: Includes newspapers, magazines, and directories ߜ Broadcast media: Includes television and radio ߜ Outdoor media: Includes billboards, transit signs, murals, and signage ߜ Specialty media: Includes items imprinted with an advertiser’s name and message ߜ New media: Includes Internet advertising, Webcasts, Web pages, and interactive media The opposite of mass media is one-to-one communications, such as personal presentations, telemarketing contacts, direct mailings, and other means of contacting your prospects individually. Mass media pros and cons Each form of mass media has advantages and drawbacks. For a quick overview, see Table 10-1 later in this chapter. 142 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads 16_578391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 142 [...]... months before the magazine actually reaches the consumer Directories The most visible directory is the Yellow Pages There’s an old saying that Small businesses are the Yellow Pages,” because small businesses place the majority of all ads in the phone directory Directories offer these advantages: ߜ Action-oriented readers: Directories reach people when they’re ready to buy or at least ready to get information... Creating and Placing Ads The headline is the print ad’s major introductory statement It is the largetype sentence or question that aims to stop readers in their tracks, target the right prospects, and pull them inside the ad to read, as commentator Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story.” Copy is the term for the words that fill the body of an ad Good copy talks directly to the prospect Its point... ads follows in Chapter 12 For Web advertising, Chapter 16 has information on banner and text ads, along with all kinds of other information about putting the Internet to work for your business If advertising isn’t your business megaphone — if you’re among the many small businesses that turn to publicity, promotions, direct mail, and other one-to-one vehicles to market your business — turn straight to... creative elbowroom: ߜ They can be short or long, as long as they’re irresistibly compelling ߜ They can sit anywhere on the page — at the top, in the middle, or along the bottom ߜ They can present a single word, a stand-alone phrase, a complete sentence, or a question Headline how-to’s Whether you do it yourself or call on the talents of a professional copywriter or advertising agency, follow these headline... cost a small fortune in return for the hope of making a big impact But even without the razzmatazz, well-designed magazine ads can stop readers with near-perfect presentations of show-stopping photos, along with lengthy copy (if appropriate) and reply cards to prompt responses ߜ Long life span: People read magazines at a relaxed pace during leisure hours Then they often keep issues or pass them along... packed with information on how to spread your marketing message without advertising But if you’re a print advertiser, let the following pages serve as your guide Writing and Designing Your Ads In the best print ads, the headline, copy, and graphics work together to capture attention, inspire the target market, promote the benefits of the product, prompt the desired consumer action, and advance the brand... an effort to reach target prospects at least three times each They also invest in the production of several ads to avoid boring the market with a single ad played over and over again ߜ Station switching: The listener can change stations if your ad isn’t adequately compelling during its first few seconds Television Sometime in the late 1950s the television replaced the fireplace as the center of the. .. of the information is retained In the late 1880s, German researcher Hermann Ebbinghaus quantified the rate at which people forget You may not need formal statistics to confirm that most people forget 90 percent of what they learn in class within 30 days This forgetting curve is why ad repetition is so important to marketers Through schedule frequency, prospects encounter your message and just when they... about to forget it, they encounter the information again and again Get this: Most of the forgetting takes place in the first hour after contact with new information, and 151 152 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Continual Flighting Front Loading Figure 10-1: Showing how ad schedules can vary Heavy-Up Pulsing ߜ Flighting: Ads run or air for a period... especially in smaller towns — where billboard rentals are available at less than bank-breaking rates — small business marketers turn to the great outdoors to display their headlines and logos If print advertising is the route you take into your prospect’s mind, this chapter offers advice for negotiating, buying, creating, placing, and evaluating the ads that carry your message to your market Advice for broadcast . months before the magazine actually reaches the consumer. Directories The most visible directory is the Yellow Pages. There’s an old saying that Small businesses are the Yellow Pages,” because small. about to forget it, they encounter the information again . . . and again. 16 _57 8391 ch10.qxd 12/28/04 9:09 PM Page 151 ߜ Flighting: Ads run or air for a period of time and then go dormant before reappearing. want them to feel differently, to tell a friend, to pick up the phone, to ask for more information, to purchase the product? Landing on the big idea The big idea is to advertising what the brake,