Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Notes on "How to Advertise"

My notes on "How To Advertise" by Kenneth Roman and Jane Maas

References and recommends:

  • Claude Hopkins - Scientific Advertising
  • Ian Ogilvy - Ogilvy on Advertising and Confessions of an Advertising Man
From "Confessions":

  • "You cannot bore people into buying"
  • "Committees can critcize advertisements, but they cannot create them"
  • "Compromise has no place in advertising. Whatever you do, go the whole hog"
  • "The consumer is not a moron. Don't insult his or her intelligence."
Ogilvy Philosophy: Research. Results. Creative Brilliance. Professional Discipline.

Codify experience into principles.

Strategy:

  • What is our objective?
  • What action do we want consumers to take?
  • Who are we talking to?
  • What is the key consumer benefit or core idea?
  • Why should they believe what we say?
  • What should our tone and manner be?
  • What is the personality of the brand?

  • Don't give up the high ground. Why people ultimately buy the product.
  • Don't labour the obvious
  • Don't use price as a strategy. provide value.
  • Don't use popularity as a strategy. popularity is a result not a reason why.
  • don't confuse attributes with benefits e.g. fast (attribute), saves time (benefit)
Strategy Checkpoints:
  • Be single minded. give up some points to make the important ones stand out
  • Make it fit an overall plan
  • Keep objectives reasonable
  • keep strategy short and easy to understand
  • Decide where your business will come from - e.g. new or existing customers?
  • Make a meaningful promise to the consumer
  • set yourself apart
  • relate the unknown to the known - what does your product replace? why is it better?
  • keep your strategy up to date
Execute

Promotion
  • Make them strategic - grow organically from the marketing plan and brand
  • look for big ideas you can repeat year after year
  • pretest promotions
  • track the results
  • keep it simple
The product. Not the display. Is the hero. Can the product sell itself when shown in use?

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