I was on a Skype conference call last evening with a small business client reviewing the content I had written for the home page on their new website, which is still in development. As we went through the messaging, he veered off on a tangent, as he is often wont to do. That’s okay with me. He is an interesting storyteller and I occasionally learn something I can use.
He mentioned that his business advisors have proposed an advertising campaign for later this fall. The media “mix” is strictly billboard and radio. Not necessarily an odd combination for their market, which is mostly males. Their thinking is they will catch guys while they’re in their cars driving to and from work as well as during the lunch hour. Okay, I’m down with that.
My client stated emphatically, “I hate billboards and I am a firm believer that billboard advertising does not work!” Then he proceeded to contradict himself by boasting about how his billboards will command attention and the message will be so compelling guys will remember it. In fact, they’ll be asking their buds, “Did you see that billboard…?” Those needing my client’s services will jump on the company website from their tablets and smartphones while they’re stuck in their morning and evening commutes.
He continued, “We’re going to run some radio spots on the sports station, too. Radio isn’t effective for our kind of business, but I think our idea is so compelling and is going to have such a strong appeal, guys are going to respond. Our name will be heard and remembered, and to the website they’ll go. It’s brilliant!”
Uh-huh.
So you hate billboards and radio advertising isn’t effective for your industry, but you’re going to go ahead and pay for a demand generation campaign utilizing only these two mediums?
Fascinating.
How many times has your client or employer argued that advertising does not work, especially for their business? And almost in the same breath, she or he is complaining about a competitor’s television commercial or magazine ad, fulminating that it is full of distortions and lies. This incongruity is both humorous and infuriating.
It’s an old and tiresome debate and for my client, it’s useless engaging in it with him. I’ve worked with him for a long time and I know how he thinks. As I flesh out the content on the development website, I’ll pry more information from him. Depending on what I learn, I may recommend a landing page that ties in with this advertising initiative. If the campaign is effective, we’ll have the data to prove it. And he’ll continue to pontificate on how advertising does not work.
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