How to Evaluate an Ad

When evaluating your ads for potential impact and effectiveness, consider this brief check list of effective advertising components:

• Is there an initial attention grabbing element or First Mental Image (FMI)?

• Is the copy supported by appropriate, meaningful and relevant visuals, graphics or computer graphics?
• If copy is supported by computer graphics (CG), does the CG duplicate the key copy points and words exactly?
• Is the message concise and simple to understand quickly?
• Is the product or benefit appealing?
• Is it unique?
• Does it have a unique competitive advantage?
• Does it appeal to the ego?
• Does it appeal to the wallet?
• What need does it fill?
• Is there a specific, clear and obvious call to action?
• Is there a reason, incentive or reward to act now?
• Is the production quality and personality appropriate for the target audience?
• What is the Last Mental Image (LMI)? Does it encapsulate the message, the call to action, the brand name? Does it leave the desired lasting impression?
  
• Does the ad contain a jingle?
• Is it catchy?
• Does it contain the brand name?
• Is it appropriate for the target audience?
• Does it contain the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or unique value proposition, or a key benefit?
• Does the ad or brand contain a slogan?
• Does the slogan contain the USP or a key benefit?
• Does it make you recall the brand name?
• Is it memorable?
• Create a positive feeling for the brand?
• Reflect the brands personality?
• Is it believable?
• Is it simple?

FOCUS

"Deep penetration on a narrow front" is military mantra for tactical success. Concentration of force and strength equals power. Diversification of force is weakness.

Business success begins with focus. As does advertising and marketing success.

One of my favorite marketing books of all time is "FOCUS" by Al Ries, followed by "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, an "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout.

I have found over two decades of working with large Fortune 100 companies and small organizations across the nation, that focus and concentration is one of the key ingredients missing in their strategy for success.

Most companies lack focus, concentration and continuity in everything they do, including training, customer service, product or service quality, product offerings, pricing strategy, branding, marketing, advertising and media planning.

It's no wonder so many companies fail to reach their potential, or even survive. They don't know who they really are, who they serve or why. And they can't stay focused or on task long enough to build a brand image with meaning, depth and definition. A brand that the market can believe in and trust. A brand that stands for something of substance and reliability.

Look at In & Out Burger as a case study. They don't advertise at all in the traditional sense. They simply focus their strategy on a few key strategies that as it turns out people like, a lot:
Great locations
Great tasting, fresh quality food
Low prices
Simple menu
Excellent service
Clean and upbeat environment

With all these positive attributes going for it, the only advertising they need is word of mouth and loyal repeat customers, which is exactly what they have. Who needs to advertise when you have all the business you need by simply doing all the right things really well consistently.

To my knowledge In & Out has never had a sale, a coupon, a special or a discount of any kind. They don't need to. They provide a great value backed by quality and great service every day.

People like a good value for their money. They like quality, convenience, and they like consistency and continuity. Pretty simple concepts, but difficult to deliver.

Why? Because most companies and their revolving door of CEOs, CFOs, CMOs and the like want to try and tweak things, to put their own fingerprint on it, to squeeze out another 4% profit margin, to change the direction, the brand,the offereings, or the value proposition.

Most companies are not driven by a focused and rock solid mission statement, set of guiding principles, business plan or values.

And the market sees it and picks up on it. What the market prefers is brands run by integris people, with a clear, simple and conistent objective of delivering honest quality, value, service and convenience, all the time.

The market likes to know what a brand stands for, and what it will not stand for. They like to know they can depend on the brand to deliver on their advertised value proposition on a consistent basis. Regardless of who is in what executive seat at the time.

How to Afford TV Advertising

Anyone can afford to buy an effective schedule on TV.

Let me explain. TV is most effective when you narrow your buy to dominate a single station. And if you can't afford to buy the station, own a daypart, say Monday through Friday 6AM to 9AM.

Or you can own a single day on a single station, like Wednesday from 6AM to 3PM.

And at the very least, you can own a single program on a single station. But whatever you do, carve our a piece of TV real estate and make it your own. This will give you the frequency you need to cut through the clutter and move your audience to action.

As I have always said, frequency is far more important than reach, and it's better to be an inch wide and a mile deep in your buy, vs. a mile wide and an inch deep.

Another way of saying it is you are better off moving 10% of the market 100% of the way to a sale, than 100% of the market only 10% of the way.

I have also had very good success with dominating and concentrating my buy on smaller and independent stations using the same rule of frequency vs. reach. It's not so much the size of the station reach as it is how you schedule the buy.

When to Advertise, and What Good Advertising Feels Like

Q. When do you need advertising the most?
A. When the market is down and things are slow.

Q. When do you need light?
A. When it's dark.

Good advertising creates leads, and leads create sales. And if you need sales now advertise and promote now.

There is a market today for your products, it just may be a little smaller so you will not realize the same ROI in a boom economy, but if you can still generate sales.

What's the alternative? Turn off the lights and wait for it to blow over. The problem is, every day you go without top-line sales revenue, you eat further into your reserves, and get closer to scraping bottom.

Take control, look for opportunities, trends, new ideas, new markets, new uses for an existing product, new ways to bundle or package your product that works better in a slow economy. Stay focused on the future and ways to get closer to your customers and solve their problems.

There are always opportunities, you just need to find them. Conduct a S.W.O.T. analysis, a focus group, a brainstorming session. Find the unmet need, that new or developing niche, and recreate yourself if you have to.

Good advertising connects with people, and offers hope, a bargain, a value, an escape, or a solution. Good advertising makes people feel good about themselves, or about you.

Good advertising makes people feel something about your brand, or about doing business with you. Good advertising fills a mental or physical void. It may make them feel smart, or happy, clever, cool, sexy, attractive, successful, satiated, above the crowd or in the know. But the more it makes people feel, the more it makes them spend.

Why do people do all the crazy and interesting things they do? Because they want to feel, they want to connect, they want to belong, and they want to be accepted, recognized, rewarded, or acknowledged.

A good brand experience, product or service fills these inate human needs. And a good ad tells them where and how. And maybe without even saying it. The implied message can be much more powerful than the stated.

Duane's Advertising and Market Research Slides

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