The Ad Man Answers #41

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Q:  I’m not seeing good response rates from my ad… what could I be doing wrong?

 

A: Part of media planning is getting one’s advertisement in front of enough eyeballs.  A second part of media planning is targeting those eyeballs, so you aren’t wasting money displaying your ad to the wrong customers.

A third – often overlooked – part of the process involves working with the creators of your advertising to marry the message with the media.  If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you might’ve noticed one or two VISA commercials, since they paid roughly $75 million for the privilege of being an official sponsor. 

Now VISA could’ve used their Olympics airtime to run pre-existing ads like this, but instead they created an entirely new campaign to maximize their sponsorship.  What does Kerri Strug’s heroic vault have to do with using a plastic card to pay your dry cleaning bill?  I’m not sure, but I feel good while paying those high interest rates.

Advertising is even more effective when the creative message dovetails with your chosen media platform (i.e. television, radio, outdoor, direct mail, etc). Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

Absolut Vodka’s latest campaign – “In an Absolut World” – also includes the following ad that ran in the front section of several local newspapers.

Absolut could’ve reached more people by placing that same ad in Sports Illustrated, but by choosing local newspapers, they reach a targeted, self-selecting audience – someone interested enough in world politics to pay for a newspaper subscription and read past Dear Abby.  That type of person is likely someone who’d appreciate their politicians with a Pinocchio proboscis.

Here’s what the ad agency had to say about it:

Executives at TBWA/Chiat/Day say the “Absolut World” campaign tested well with the target audience, primarily urbanites ages 25 to 34. “It re-engages consumers with the idea that Absolut is the quintessential vodka, the true vodka, the standard by which you judge other things,” said Rob Smiley, worldwide creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day.

Two things of note in the above statement.  First, the creative testing was done within Absolut’s target audience (urbanites 25-34).  If you’re selling vodka, you shouldn’t worry if retired country-line dancers from Omaha don’t like your ad.  Can’t please everyone, so make sure your ad resonates with people who are going to provide the bulk of your sales.

Secondly, note the advertising buzzword: “re-engages.”  Engagement is something advertisers try to measure, because they know the more “engaged” a consumer is with the content – like an Olympics’ fan cheering on the latest Michael Phelps race – the more likely they are to respond favorably to surrounding advertising.

Or you can just follow the advice of Media Guru Erwin Ephron, “You want engagement?  Make a more engaging ad.”  VISA and Absolut have figured it out.  What’s stopping you?... aside from $75 million dollars.

 

Next column… we’ll discuss more about engagement, and how technology is making it possible for advertisers to further reach the right consumer with the appropriate creative message.

 

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 and is currently on submission. 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.