Before You Begin Writing Those Ads...by Roy H. Williams Which do you think would work better, the brilliant execution of a flawed strategy, or the flawed execution of a brilliant one? In business, it's the flawed execution of a brilliant strategy that usually wins the day. Most advertising professionals are unwilling to question a client's strategy because they're afraid of losing the account. So they happily pretend that "good writing, scientifically selected colors, powerful pictures and reaching the right audience" is all that's needed to make money in America. Piffle and Pooh. Give me average writing, bland colors, no pictures, the wrong people and a strong strategy and I'll have to rent a trailer to haul my money to the bank. It's hard to tell a powerful story badly. But it's easy to tell a weak story well. |
Radio Advertising Principle: Sense of Urgencyby Dan O'Day www.danoday.comUnless you're doing "Institutional" or "Image" advertising -- which ad agencies love but which usually are bad investments for advertisers -- your advertising should have a clear Call to Action. This is especially true for local retail advertising, which is the lifeblood of commercial radio. Contrary to popular belief, a "good" commercial is not one that wins awards. It's not one that everyone tells you they love. It's not even one that the client tells you he loves, nor the one your audience hums along with. A "good" commercial is one that motivates the listener to act on the sales message: To go to the automobile showroom and test-drive the vehicle. To sample the fragrance at the department store's perfume counter. To pick up the phone, dial the toll-free number, and request the free information booklet. (As David Ogilvy said, "Don't tell me you love my ad. Tell me you bought the product.") There is nothing as powerful as a Sense of Urgency to motivate people to act. |
60s, 30s, 15s, or Mentions?by Roy H. Williams www.wizardacademy.comShakespeare would argue for fifteen-second radio ads, "Brevity is the soul of wit." But W.C. Fields would suggest sixties, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." I agree with both. When people ask me, "What's the best length radio ad?" I always think of Abe Lincoln's answer when asked, "How long should a man's legs be?" Long enough to reach the ground. In other words, a radio ad should be exactly as long as it takes to say what needs to be said. |
The Great Ad Mythby Roy H. Williams www.wizardacademy.com"Writing comes more easily if you have something to say." - Sholem Asch Ads are like houses. You can do a good job constructing a badly designed house, but when you're through, you've still got a badly designed house. It doesn't matter how good you are with a hammer and a saw when the blueprints themselves are faulty. Likewise, it doesn't matter how good you are with nouns and verbs when the core message itself is boring. There's no good way to tell a bad story. Ultimately, it is the core message of your campaign - the blueprint - that determines the success of your advertising.
Give a powerful core message to an average writer and a mom'n'pop business can leap from Main Street, Mayberry, to the New York Stock Exchange. But give an average message to a powerful writer and you've got blah, blah, media filler. But you already knew that. |
Power of Weaknessby Roy H. Williams www.wizardacademy.comFeatures and benefits, features and benefits, features and benefits. We've polished our pitches to such a degree that we've dimmed our abilities to persuade. The customer is only half listening because the inner self is asking, "What are they not telling me?" Those who have heard my 90-minute presentation about the ongoing evolution of Western communication style are familiar with the problem:
Do you want to surprise Broca, gain the attention of your customer and win back your credibility? |
Counter Brandingby Roy H. Williams www.wizardacademy.comWhen your business category is dominated by a single brand and all the other brands put together don't equal them, it's time to create a counter-brand. Counter-branding – business judo – is rare and dangerous. But when you're overwhelmingly dominated, what have you got to lose? Prior to the creation of their "Uncola" counter-brand in 1967, 7-Up had survived for 38 years as a lemon-lime soft drink with the slogan, :You Like It. It Likes You." Yippee Skippy call the press, a soft drink likes me. As in Judo, the secret of counter-branding is to use the weight and momentum of your opponent to your own advantage. In other words, hook your trailer to their truck and let them pull you along in their wake. The steps in counter-branding are these: |
Those Frogs, Lizards and Ferretsby Dan O'Day www.danoday.comA reader asks: "The Budweiser commercials that feature the frogs, the lizards, and the ferret (audio and video) seem to break many advertising rules. Do you think they are effective? Why do they work if they do? Why are they used so much if they don't work?" Dan replies: Yes, they seem to violate rules of good advertising. Yes, they work. Yes, most businesses will approach bankruptcy if they follow Budweiser's advertising model. The Budweiser campaign is designed to maintain top-of-mind awareness |
