"If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock." - Arthur Goldberg. A committee in small business can be a group of employees or a loose bunch of well-meaning family and friends.
It’s called “reactance.” When someone tries to tell you what to think or do — that automatic resistance you feel is called reactance by psychologists. And for advertisers, there are plenty of work-arounds for reactance.
Too often, a company uses their marketing to push their features and benefits - ‘Best location, Best Product, Best Service, Best Employees’ - but these are not clingy and sticky. Features and benefits are slippery and rarely remembered.
If you’re selling a commodity and that commodity is called the same thing at every business, give yours a better name. I can get a “large coffee” anyplace. I can get a Grande only at Starbucks.
Creativity is the second most important factor in advertising effectiveness, according to over 50 years of quantitative data.
When done right, THIS is the stuff that creates a distinct voice and personality. I’ve seen a few scores of them over the years, and 95% have been utterly worthless.
Businesses that grow BIG and profitable use the five-step Relational Systematic Marketing process. Bond. Guide. Satisfy. Nurture. Delight.
When you say it in your ad, the audience is as likely to dismiss it as accept it. When you cause the audience to say it in their heads, it’s automatically, unquestionably accepted.
Most businesses practice Transactional Reactive Marketing to varying degrees. It’s why most marketing disappoints or fails.
The day Rick posted his 2003 Ford F 350 on Kijiji (a weird Canadian Craigslist), there were 66 other listings for the exact same truck. Rick’s rig sold in 23 minutes...to a Texan.
"Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak” — or so says Elmer Wheeler. And if you’re in marketing or sales, either you like that phrase, or rather strenuously object to it. Those who object say things like "If you sell sizzle without the steak you’re a con artist."
Without a consistent theme, you probably don't even have a campaign. And then at that point, what are you doing? You're not branding. You're not bonding.
All the data including marketing spend, sales numbers, profit margins, etc.
Shared values and tribes are the life blood of bonding campaigns. And you can’t have attitude without a point of view.
Howard McMann once said of his partner, “He’s slippery, he lies beautifully, and he has a great head of hair.” Legend has it, Tate once told a subordinate “If the client loves it, I love it! If the client hates it, I hate it!”