Is Any Advertising Good Advertising

[KristineS]

I have talked with some people who say that anything that gets their name out in front of the public is good advertising. In their mind, a flyer under the wiper on a car is as good as a glossy advertisement in a magazine. In fact, the flyer might be better because it is cheaper.

I think the method of advertising and the perception of that method also have to be taken into account when considering how and where to advertise.

Do you guys agree or disagree with me?

[Patrysha]

I agree with you - not all advertising is created equal.

Can you imagine Mercedes Benz advertising with cheap windshield flyers?

You have to match your advertising to your target market and the marketplace perception that you want to attract.

[KristineS]

That's so true and I think it's where a lot of companies fail, particularly small ones. If you want to be perceived as someone that people want to do business with, you have to look as though you can handle the business. You're exactly right, Mercedes would not be Mercedes if they had some crazy guy on late night cable television shouting about how his car deals are insane.

[vangogh]

I don't think any advertising is good advertising either, but I understand the thought. There is a point where you might consider it better to be known for anything than to be unknown. Maybe you become known for something you'd rather not be associated with, but once you become a known entity you're at least part of the conversation. You can change how people view you.

With the Mercedes example I completely agree. The fliers would damage their brand. However would you say the same about Napluna? You don't know who they are (because I made them up). The fliers could conceivably get you to know they're name even if the association is with a cheap car. Once enough people know who they are they might then work to change the association to high end automobiles.

Personally I prefer to getting known for good than bad even if it takes longer to get known. I also prefer targeting my marketing to waste less. I'm not endorsing the above get known first and then get known for what you want later strategy, but I know there are some who would.

In general I'm with you that not all advertising is good advertising.

[KristineS]

I think that some people do endorse the theory that you put out Vangogh and just try to get known first and then worry about for what they're known second. The problem is if you're known for being low end it costs that much more and takes much more time if you want to be known later as a high end product.

I always think it is better to start as you mean to go on. Pick an image and stick with it.

[vangogh]

I'm not arguing that point. I thought I'd throw out the other side for the sake of discussion. I'd much prefer to be known for things that match what my brand is about. Some people just want the attention first. I won't say you can't try that approach though. I think getting known for what you want to be known for is the better course of action, but to each his own.

[orion_joel]

I would imagine that there is very much two camps on this. It is one of the biggest reasons i have done minimal marketing, because i really do not want to do advertising that looks cheap. I want to do quality advertising that people connect to my business being a quality provider of products and services.

However there are many many businesses that do go to the extent of working on the basis that any marketing, or publicity is better then none. Which really may be a true statement, however not all marketing or publicity for that matter consistently adds value to your brand. This is the same for some companies that just want their name in the paper, weather it is for something that is good or bad as long as their name is in the paper they are happy because they are being talked about.

[KristineS]

I think that's what it comes down to in the end, Joel, adding value to the brand. It all depends on how you want your product and your company to be perceived.

[vangogh]

That's how it is for me. I want to continue to add value to my brand and then as I can extend the reach of my brand. To me that's what makes the most sense, though it is a longer term strategy if your goal is to be known among the masses.

When I think of the other side, the get known for anything first strategy, I think about Hollywood celebrities. Many will do anything just to get their name in the media and while it's often for things you might not want to get known for it still gets them back in the public eye. The public also has a funny way of forgetting and forgiving too.

[Ad-Vice_Man]

I agree with most of what's being said here... but I don't think it necessarily has to do with the cost/price of the advertising medium.

For instance... i have long argued and will continue to argue that the most economical piece of marketing material is your business card. Looking through my invoices (for accuracy) i discovered that my first set of business cards cost me $.10 per card. or $100 for 1000. This would fall somewhere in the price range of the flyers on the windshield price range, but wouldn't feel nearly as "Cheap"

Certainly there is truth to Marshall McLuhan's addage "The medium is the message" but just because you're "On TV" doesn't mean your ad is better than the guy that's on radio or the local paper or yes even distributing flyers.

[Leatherneck]

I have tried several means of advertising over the past few years and have spent alot of money without the return I invested. Alot is due too the competitivness of my business and the down fall in the housing market and economy.

I have learned in my business the best is word of mouth, but starting out i needed to spend money too make money and it was just bad timing. I have also learned what works the best for the buck so when things get better i will use that as an advantage,

The internet is working its way into my business more and more and I want too be on the top when it takes over the phone book ads and other means of marketing and advertising.

[Ad-Vice_Man]

Leatherneck, I'll let you in on a secret.

1. Word of mouth is, has and always will be the best form of "marketing" for every industry. The reason companies advertise is 1) they can't get enough word of mouth and 2) Advertising can generate word of mouth

2. The internet has already taken over the phone book. The phone book isn't dead yet, but it's in the ICU.



PS.. To see why i've called word of mouth "marketing" and not "advertising" see the free advertising advice site below.

[Steve B]

I agree with both of the above points.

If word-of-mouth was all you needed Coke, Pepsi, Ford, Toyota, Campbell's Soup etc. must all of have some real idiots wasting a lot of money on advertsing.

The internet already gets me 10 times more business than the Yellow Pages.

[Marcomguy]

Call me a cab, call me late for dinner, but call me.

I'm in the camp that thinks any publicity is good publicity. As long as your product or service is great.

I'm leaving out obvious bad-publicity events like a perp walk on TV. But sticking Mercedes-Benz fliers under car windshields? If you're in the right location, and you probably are if you're selling your Benz, you'll get at least one call. And nobody will think M-B has gone downscale.

But you have to be good at what you do. Otherwise, bad advertising will hasten your business's downfall, and good advertising will only prolong it.

[vangogh]

To me the Mercedes thing is less about getting a call or two as it is about the brand image. If you do enough cheap fliers on the windshield it's going to change the way people view Mercedes.

Now if it's a person selling their used Mercedes I think it's fine. You're not worried about brand in that case, you're just looking to sell a car. But Mercedes themselves shouldn't be using that method of marketing, because it will change the perception of the company and in time lead to a loss of profits.

[orion_joel]

Leatherneck, while you may have lost money over the years on your marketing and advertising. Maybe it is worth looking at it from the perspective, of exactly what you say, you have gained a knowledge of what does and what doesn't work, and up to this point if that has cost a little it may be worth it for what you can eventually save in the future, the more you put this to good use.

[vangogh]

you have gained a knowledge of what does and what doesn't work

That's an important point. I think we all go through times where we look at something that didn't work and get mad at ourselves or feel we wasted money, but as long as you learned something in the process you gained something valuable that you can apply the next time.

None of us is going to get everything perfect the first time out. It's through trying and seeing what does and doesn't work and then doing more of the things that do work that we become successful. Failing is part of the process.

[KristineS]

None of us is going to get everything perfect the first time out. It's through trying and seeing what does and doesn't work and then doing more of the things that do work that we become successful. Failing is part of the process.

That's why it is so important to measure your results. It isn't enough to try, you have to know what they outcome is and then, if possible, determine why what you tried didn't work.

I constantly see posts from people (on other forums) who've tried multiple methods of advertising, but don't have any measurements as to how well they did. Of course, if you get no sales, it's likely the advertising didn't work, but if you're not measuring, how do you know which method didn't work?

[vangogh]

Absolutely. I see the same things. People just throw something out there without any real way to discover if it worked. That provides nothing for the next time out when all you can do is guess again at what to do.

Even if you don't get sales you can still measure steps along the way. Take AdWords for example. Maybe people are clicking on your page, getting to your site, and then leaving. That might tell you to look at your landing page. Maybe there's a disconnect with the landing page content and the promise in the ad. Testing different landing pages might then be the next step.

Then after testing you find people are taking action on the landing page, but still not buying. Is there something technically wrong with your payment method? is your price too high? Too low?

Little by little you keep improving the entire process based on what you've measured until you've improved it as much as you can.

[KristineS]

Exactly. It isn't enough to put something out there, you have to know where in the process it's having issues. There are a lot of steps between hooking someone's interest and a sale. Finding out where you're losing them can help increase sales exponentially.

That's why measurement is so important. You have to test. If you don't, you'll never know what works with your target market and what doesn't work.

[Ad-Vice_Man]

Measurement is important... but alot of people screw it up... the right measurement is even more important... if you measure the wrong thing... you can be causing yourself harm.

[vangogh]

True. It's all too easy to misled by measuring the wrong thing or looking at the wrong stats. Statistics tell the truth, but they don't tell the whole truth.

[Blessed]

I'm late to the party but I thought I would throw this out too...

Sometimes businesses think advertising isn't working because they don't build any way to track that advertising into their ad. I do work for a salon that only does high-end salon work so she never offers coupons and etc... but she has a couple of different phone numbers and puts them on ads going to different markets/different venues etc... that way she can track where her business is coming from - the ad is the same in every place - it just has a different phone number on it. She knows if advertising in the phone book or in the local shopper is more effective.

So many people seem to forget that you have to put your name in front of people over and over and over again - word of mouth is the best form of advertising but if I'm looking for a service you provide and I google something or grab the phone book and have 15 companies to call - I'm going to call the name I recognize, even if I only recognize them from repeated exposure to their message.

[KristineS]

Tracking is so important. Using different phone numbers is a great idea.

I read somewhere that people have to see an advertisement an average of three times before it sticks in their heads. So repeated exposure is definitely the way to go.