When you’re a marketer, driving on the freeway can actually be quite enjoyable. As you drive by countless billboards, you tend to read and critique them. There is a particular stretch of freeway going north of my home that I really enjoy driving on. Over this 30 mile stretch, there are certain billboards that always tend to draw my attention—not always for a good reason. There are two different businesses in particular that advertise on billboards in that 30 mile stretch that I always love analyzing. There are some pretty big key differences between how the two of them advertise.
Business A has about 10 billboards down that stretch of the freeway going each way. Business B, on the other hand, only has one billboard. I think it is safe to say that Business A is winning at frequency. But, how successful is frequency when the content on the billboards does a poor job of conveying a message. Neither business uses any photos in their ads, just written content. Here are just two examples of Business A’s ad content: 1. Less Ponzi, More Fonzie. 2. No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative. After reading that content, do you know what Business A does? Are you going to drive home and buy whatever it is they are offering? Now here is what Business B’s ad says: Write cool code and still see your family. Can you tell what Business B offers? Can you decipher their unique selling point? I know I can.
As far as I have researched, both Business A and Business B are fairly young companies. They have not achieved the level of global brand awareness that Nike and Starbucks have. Therefore, one would think that the content on their advertisements is critical in introducing them to consumers. The advertisements need to somehow, in a matter of just seconds, convey a message that tells a story and sells the customer on their product or offering.
Tell a Story
The author and marketing genius Seth Godin says in his book, All Marketers Are Liars, that the place to start with your product, service, or organization is this: what classic story can I tell? Godin explains, “In order to survive the onslaught of choices, consumers make snap judgements.” He goes on, ” The pieces of the story come together in an instant and the story is told. If the story is confusing or contradictory or impossible, the consumer panics and ignores it. But if the story is compelling and addresses basic desires like fear or power or acceptance, it might just be embraced.” Business A does not seem to tell a story with their billboards. They have quirky quotes that are meant to spark some measure of curiosity in the consumer—possibly leading the consumer to find out more about the business later. Business B, on the other hand, tells a story. I can learn to code and still have time for my family. That’s a pretty awesome story to tell consumers since coding is usually seen as something that can be quite time consuming.
Be a Businessman
When creating an ad, advertisers have to ask themselves what the goal of the advertisement is. Is it to generate laughs? Is to inform the masses? Is it to educate? So on and so forth. The advertising pioneer Claude Hopkins had this to say in his book, Scientific Advertising: “Ads are not written to entertain. When they do, those entertainment seekers are little likely to be the people whom you want.” He goes on, “That is one of the greatest advertising faults. Ad writers abandon their parts. They forget they are salesmen and try to be performers. Instead of sales, they seek applause.” According to Hopkins, as well as many other great advertisers, the whole point of advertising is to make sales. Therefore, when advertising, you must think as a salesman would think. What would you say to a customer if they were in right in front of you? If a salesman came to me and said that they have a business that is less Ponzi and more Fonzie, I would stand there confused. But if the same salesman came to me and said that he can help me learn how to code, and I would still be able to see my family, I would be very interested in hearing more about his offer.
Sometimes advertisers can fall into the trap of wanting to create content that is entertaining, edgy, or clever, but does not help generate sales. When creating an advertisement, advertisers need to first focus on how the ad will bring in new sales. The entertaining, edgy, and clever parts can come later. Study your typical consumer. What will draw them in? What story can you tell as a salesman that will bring them to your store or your website and help them make a purchase? The time spent thinking like your customer and creating an ad fit for them is crucial. Your execution cannot be mediocre. For, as Claude Hopkins put it, “A mediocre salesman may affect a small part of your trade. Mediocre advertising affects all of your trade.”