The Ad Tune-up Checklist. The 9 point inspection for your advertising.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The Ad Tune-up Checklist. The 9 point inspection for your advertising."

Aubrey Weaver
6 years ago
Views:

1 The Ad Tune-up Checklist The 9 point inspection for your advertising.

2 Inspection Point #1 Cliches Before your message can sink in, it has to be noticed. The quickest way to get your message ignored is to fill it with tired cliches. Your ad might say this We keep our nose to the grindstone to provide the experience you deserve. (cliche, predictable, and ignored) When your message could say this You d think we ve been sniffing glue, the way our nose is stuck to the grindstone for you. (bold opener, frameline magnetism, rhyme) Comb through your ads for cliches. Cliches = wasted ad dollars

3 Inspection Point #2 Rhyme Ever noticed a good amount of ads use rhyme? The fact you noticed is a good sign that it works. Rhyme however, is just the surface paint job. The real engine of that catchy copy is the meter. Meter is the careful positioning of words to create a rhythmic pattern. A rhyme without proper meter feels off and out of place. Study great poets and you will find great meter. If you have rhyme in your ads, run it by a polished poet or advertiser. They should be able to help you identify if the meter is correct or not.

4 Inspection Point #3 Frameline magnetism A phrase coined by the advertising expert Roy H. Williams. This is when you intentionally leave something out so the listener must fill in the blank. This is powerful because an audible advertisement can transition from a one-way-dialogue to a two-way-conversation. This can be done with visuals and design as well. For instance your mind automatically begins to fill in our headshots below. Perhaps you even have an idea of who s smiling and who isn t in the photos. Check out our about us page to see if your right.

5 Inspection Point #4 Frequency vs GRPs Some advertising schedules (for tv or radio) are built upon GRPs or gross ratings points. GRPs favor impressions and reach at the expense of frequency. Frequency is the key determining factor for getting your message to sink in. You want to achieve a weekly frequency of at least 3.0 per the average listener. If your longterm advertising schedule isn t based on frequency you re not reaching the market like you should. This video on nailing home your message shows this in further detail.

6 Inspection Point #5 Setting expectations If you owned the following three businesses you should base your advertising expectations based on the product sold. Taco Stand Car Dealership Mattress Store Let s say your average customer eats every day, gets a new car every three years, and purchases a new mattress every 15 years. Predisposition advertising is going to return results the fastest to your taco stand and slowest for your mattress store. Figure out what half of your product purchase cycle is (another Roy term) and that is when you should start seeing results from a proper advertising schedule.

7 Inspection Point #6 Be concise Traditional advertising is an interruption medium. It gets this name because people chose to watch or listen to a program and the commercials are an interruption they deal with (DVR debates aside). You typically have 30 or 60 seconds to get across your message. So you re better off focusing on one concise message than trying to say too much. Imagine if we we re at the driving range and you wanted me to toss you an extra five balls. If I threw all five at once, they might all end up on the ground instead of if I threw one at a time to you. Each ad should be focused on one message, if you have multiple messages to deliver, break them out into multiple ads and create a campaign. Tie those ads together with a consistent style, voice, and musical image if you have one.

8 Inspection Point #7 Is your music flat? Some people who have experienced isolated damage to the left side of their brain can no longer speak. Amazingly, they can still sing a song. That is because language is a left-brain exercise and music is a right-brain activity. If you can wrap your message in a unique piece of music, you can by-pass the point that most ads get denied by the listener. That bouncer is known as broca s area of the brain and this video by CJ covers that in more detail. If the music in your ads is stock music or boring it won t help much. But if it is unique and memorable you ve created a unique musical image. You can add some serious miles to your advertising dollar with a unique musical image. Check out a few examples of these on our website.

9 Inspection Point #8 Own your position Have you thought about what your position in the marketplace is? If you have, do your ads speak to that position? A good example of this is the crowded field of plumbing. There are many plumbers in every market and saying you re the best won t get you far. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing says they re the punctual plumber. That makes Benjamin a good fit for people who place a high importance on punctuality. If they re frequently the tardy plumber than their advertising will create false expectations and angry customers. Make sure you can own your position and live up to what you put yourself out there to be. Are your ads doing that for you?

10 Inspection Point #9 Measure your critics Create ads that are so boring, predictable, and typical and you can save yourself some heartache. That s because no one will criticize your ads because no one notices them. If you re willing to bust through the cliches, slap broca around, and create compelling advertising undoubtedly someone will let you know how awful your ads are. Take this unsolicited feedback as a compliment because you know at the very least your ads aren t being ignored. If you have a strong position and your utilizing advertising techniques that gain attention, than your bound to hear from people who oppose what you stand for. That s ok though. Just take it in stride. Your feelings should only be hurt if no one says anything about your ads. Be ready for opinions to flow in. That s ok because so will the leads.

11 Want a custom tune-up? If you have any lingering doubts about your current advertising strategy we d love to hear from you. We can help maximize your ad spend and align your marketing efforts with a position you can own. Feel free to reach out to our ad specialist for more details. CJ Maurer navigator@ofthesea.com (203)

Ad Tune-up Checklist. Tune in your audience.

Ad Tune-up Checklist. Tune in your audience. Ad Tune-up Checklist Tune in your audience. Overview This 9 point inspection is a quick checklist of items you can use to monitor your advertising. This content will take about 10-15 minutes to read and