11-7-2012
Everyone is so focused on trying to keep up with changing technologies that we sometimes lose sight of the power and value of what we are holding in our hand. In order for sellers to overcome the digital objection (?I moved all my advertising dollars to the Internet?), they need to understand the unique benefits of what they have.
The Internet is nothing more than a delivery system. It?s all about content, and content is still king, as we are fond of saying. Just a few things to keep in mind when your sellers talk to clients:
? The clutter level online far exceeds that on the airwaves. Just try doing a search and look at what it takes to weed out what you really want.
? There is a wealth of valueless content online. What passes for ?journalism? in particular is lacking.
? Not all demographic groups use the Internet equally. Consider this if your stations target mature users, for example
Conversely, I?ve never met an iPod that could get me out of a traffic jam -- I can?t read the screen on a tablet computer or a smartphone while I?m driving and the rest of the world prefers that I don?t watch cable TV when I?m behind the wheel.
Folks, get with it. There?s still enormous benefit to what comes out of the speakers in real time. In fact, with 235 million people (according to RADAR) still listening to regular old terrestrial radio, advertisers have a pretty good chance of capturing their attention. People are still glued to their radios during elections, storms, and at other critical times. (My cable was out during Hurricane Sandy, but not my portable and car radios.)
The secret to it all still comes down to the message... and the timing. If your commercial copy is as engaging as your station?s programming (should be), you will come out a winner. Here?s the formula I?ve used for years (right out of one of my books):
RIGHT PRICE + RIGHT PRODUCT + RIGHT TIME + RIGHT AUDIENCE =RIGHT RESULTS.
I call it the ?persuasion equation.? Use it. Check your next campaign against it. If you?ve controlled all of these factors, you will have a winner. For example, we ran a campaign for a six-unit restaurant chain for only one week on one suburban rock station and pulled 856 documented responses! The kicker: How many other people spent the same money on the same station the same week, and didn?t get one-tenth the response.
Become an expert in making advertising work and you -- and your clients -- will experience the success that comes from the power of old-fashioned over-the-air radio. When you make money for your clients, you?ll make money for yourself. Understand what your audience?s needs, wants, and aspirations are, and play to them. Let everyone else fight over ?impressions? while you drive traffic and sales.
Barry Cohen is the Managing Member of AdLab Media Communications, LLC (www.adlabcreative.com),
Author of 10 Ways to Screw Up an Ad Campaign, and co-author of Startup Smarts. Contact him: barry@adlabcreative.com
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