Ad Man Answers #9

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

  Q:  The past two columns, you've blathered on about 'Upper Funne' and 'Middle Funnel' advertising... so what's the deal with 'Lower Funnel' messaging?

A: If 'Upper Funnel' advertising is warm, fuzzy brand-building -- and 'Middle Funnel' is feature/benefits or direct comparisons -- then 'Lower Funnel' advertising is all about the deal.

If a consumer has reached the bottom of the purchase funnel (INTENTION & SALES), they're about to break out their wallet.  In the car business, that means the potential buyer has narrowed down their decision to 1-2 models, is actively taking test drives, and will probably be shopping that weekend, if not sooner.  At that point, the customer's big questions are:  "What's my out-the-door cost?"  "Why should I buy it now?" and more importantly, "Why should I buy it from you?"

Good 'Lower Funnel/ advertising addresses those questions, without slipping into commercial cliche hell.

Unfortunately, where the auto industry is concerned, selling the deal is rarely done with tact.  They're either "chopping prices", missappropriating holidays, or pummeling viewers with information.

But local dealer advertising doesn't have to be atrocious.  Here's an example of one that tries to address the "Why should I buy it from you?" question -- but still harkens back to the Toyota brand heritage of: "I love what you do for me."

Auto dealers rely heavily on newspaper classifieds to communicate 'Lower Funnel' price messages, and will occasionally invest in TV or radio.  Today, we're also seeing more and more online activity, where a dealer can communicate a host of 'Lower Funnel' messages. In this example, you can check inventory, get a list of specials, apply for credit, estimate your trade-in value, map the dealership location -- all things that make it easier for a shopper to pick Appleway Mazda over the alternatives.

Motorcycles are the step-children of the auto industry in terms of resources and overall budgets.  So here's a clever Kawasaki online ad that combined brand messages (video-image gallery) with a 'Lower Funnel' dealer locator.  Run your mouse over the large rectangular ad to see all the different options embedded in 'rich media.'

Moving to the book world, most authors appear to take a hands-off approach to 'the deal.'  Instead of screaming "We're slashing prices like Lizzie Borden on this hardback!!" -- most 'Lower Funnel' messages are done politely at the bookstore level.  This would include dump bins, co-op preferred placement, staff recommendations and sale racks.

Of course, since the publisher is responsible for distribution -- not the author -- certain aspects of pricing and shelf-placement are out of the writer's control.  But this dynamic doesn't prevent writers from using guerrilla marketing tactics, creating media stunts, visiting bookstores, signing stock, and initiating their own advertising efforts.

One avenue that most authors overlook is their website.  I've personally reviewed dozens of author homepages, and I'm amazed at how few provide a direct method for motivated customers to buy their books.  Take a lesson from Joseph Finder... on his homepage, Finder's latest release "Killer Instinct" has an underlined link to 'buy this book.'  Then it jumps to a secondary page with multiple options, including "You can also ask for it at your local bookstore," so he isn't playing favorites or alienating the mom & pop booksellers.

Some authors/publishers have managed to communicate 'Lower Funnel' messaging outside of personal websites and bookstore shelves.  Here's a brilliant magazine ad for Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet In Heaven," (image pops) which included a holiday special of "buy two, get one free."  This is rare combo of 'Upper Funnel' branding -- the warm fuzzy of telling the important people in you life how much you care -- with a 'Lower Funnel' sales offer.

And it worked.  The offer had synergy with the book's premise.  Albom and Hyperion made it easy for book shoppers to pick up multiple copies for 'their five people' -- which helped push the book over 8 million sales worldwide.

Here's an example of a co-branded price message with Fodor's, only instead of discounting their travel guides, the sales incentive comes from saving $100 on your next Expedia purchase.

But let's say you're a small or mid-list author, without the publishing support to do a "buy two, get one free" or "save $100 on your next trip" offer.  Is there another way you can add value for your book purchaser?

Suppose you've written a series about a closet organizer who does a little sleuthing on the side.  If you had enough money in your advertising kitty, maybe you could approach TLC's "Clean Sweep" to run a co-branded, on-air contest. 

But if your budget is tight, why not approach local 'clutter organizers' in your area, then pay them a small fee in exchange for handing out flyers about your book to all their customers?  As a bonus, you could offer a drawing for a 'Free Garage Clean' to anybody who buys your book within a specific time frame. 

In a perfect world, authors and publishers would all have fat marketing budgets to educate the public about what they stand for, why their particular book is special, when it's coming out, and why you should buy it now (instead of next Christmas).

'Lower Funnel' advertising without 'Middle' and 'Upper Funnel' messages is not particularly effective.  What good is a sale on something you don't know anything about?  If I told you that Isuzu is discounting $5,000 off their used Hombre's, does that make you want one?  I mean, does Isuzu still make cars?  And what the hell is a Hombre?  (answer: pickup truck based off the Chevy S10)

On the flipside... 'Upper' and 'Middle Funnel' advertising without some 'Lower Funnel' information won't ring the cash register.  If you never tell the customer where it can be purchased, how much it costs, when it's available, and if there's a special incentive to buy now -- you're providing impediments to the purchase decision.

Car companies generally split advertising into three tiers.  The factory (i.e. Toyota Corporation) buys the Tier 1 'Upper Funnel' commercials that deliver the general brand message that Toyotas are safe, reliable and sporty.  The dealer groups (i.e. Southern California Toyota Dealers Association) combine their funds to run Tier 2 'Middle Funnel' advertising that speaks to specific Toyota features (like good gas mileage) vs. their competitors.  Then the local dealer (i.e. Toyota of Cerritos) buys Tier 3 advertising that says "Come on down this weekend -- have we got a deal for you!"

Authors don't get the luxury of three tiers of advertising working together.  But if you're clever, you can provide information that reaches up and down the funnel -- within the same advertisement like Kawasaki -- and maybe, just maybe, become the next Mitch Albom.

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past decade, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, and the San Diego Padres. He recently finished his first mystery, KATZ CRADLE. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.