Claude Hopkins referred to advertising as a science in his book (appropriately titled) Scientific Advertising. And he couldn’t have been more on point.
Contrary to what some people within the marketing world would like you to believe, the word advertising does not spell doom for your marketing campaign. In fact, advertising gives value to the efforts to your marketing campaign.
As Mr. Hopkins mentioned in his book, advertising is “based in fixed principles and reasonably exact”. It is one of the safest business acts you can take. When done right, that is.
Why People Seem to Hate Advertising So Much
Let’s be honest – advertising is what keeps businesses afloat or makes them successful. It’s what lets the consumer know what a business offers, and how to get it. Now, tell me isn’t that the point of marketing a business.
As a mentioned earlier, (when done right) advertising is the moneymaker of your marketing campaign. But when done wrong, it does spell doom for your business.
“And when is advertising done wrong?” – you might be asking. Well, it’s pretty simple.
Advertising takes a turn for the worst when it is viewed as an art, and not as a science. Which is a problem many advertising agencies face these days.
You see all those cool commercials on TV with SFX and (apparently) hilarious one-liners? Those commercials are created by advertising agencies. And businesses are spending millions of dollars on those commercials. All of which focus more on how “cool” and “hip” your brand is, instead of highlighting how your customers will benefit from buying your goods.
And nine times out of ten (the one exception I know is Game of War – and they had Kate Upton appeal to a bunch of nerds), they produced ZERO profits for their advertisers.
They might produce an award for that agency, but let’s be honest – what does that do for your business? Let me answer that: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Use Direct Response Advertising to Obtain Results
Not just my opinion, but facts show that direct response advertising (cost-effective and traceable) is better salesmanship than creative branding.
Just imagine – with the same budget as a million-dollar production for a thirty-second ad, you can run a direct mail package, a well-done infomercial, an email campaign, and a landing page campaign. That’s four chances to appeal to the customer against one!
Not impressed yet? How about these – with direct response advertising, you can track what’s working and what’s not. And keep what’s bringing money while dumping what isn’t.
Don’t Be Afraid of Direct Response Advertising
When done right, advertising can take your business to a level of success you may have never imagined. You just got to make sure you get the right type of advertising for your business.
Keep this post in mind when you need to make up your mind about an agency’s “trailer-like commercial” idea.
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