Well perhaps the most stupid of concepts "Word of mouth marketing" is regarded as a better mousetrap…for the life of me I cannot figure out why! Recently one highly regarded member of the Ad.Community said…"as most other conventional media have lost authority and commercial effectiveness, word of mouth is re-emerging. Whose word do we trust? Each others"! Whoops, here we go again, setting up the excuses for advertising's failure, this time it is the media, who's next I wonder?
Once upon a time it was the creative people who were at fault, then they woke up to the fact that creativity was not the answer to the problem, which makes one ponder, when will they ever learn?
And that's one of the many problems that face advertising, so many "experts" in different fields, resulting in so many reasons for advertising's' failure.
The real problem? Simply put it is a total lack of communication competence. Recently Ted D'Cruz-Young of Ideocracy (N.Y.) had this to say to the big TV Networks: "You've allowed agencies and advertisers to abuse your commercial real estate with stuff that might be good advertising but it is bad content…the commercial break is bust, it's time for something quite different. No more messaging screamfest…(we need) deeper engagement and stronger brand relationships…"
For far too long advertising agencies have been dancing on the head of a pin called a 30-second TV commercial! Now comes word of mouth!
When…oh when will they get around to studying the word "communication" a little more closely? Because the answers right there.
A better, far, far, better mousetrap was built over twenty-five years ago but the advertising agencies were not prepared to take delivery.
Why? Simply put they were not concerned with solving their Clients problems they simply wanted to maximise their profits!
This communication technique reduced frequency, thus less clutter, enhanced awareness of TV commercials, used existing media, and was totally accountable – just one exposure was far more effective than reach and frequency. And they didn't like that one bit!
Now here they are, having nearly ruined one perfectly good media establishment madly going off to then disenchant clients as to the efficacy
or otherwise of the Internet, a medium totally hostile to the concept of advertising.
In the rapidly growing internet ad economy advertising has firmed up as one of the choice revenue streams for a Web 2.0 world, meaning more and more media contact points for consumers. Thus new media have the potential to deliver even more saturation, clutter and intrusiveness than traditional media, in which case the new media will only worsen marketing resistance.
Why is it that anytime there is a new destination for people, like YouTube or mobile phones, the assumption is "we've got to find ways to put some ads there." The fact of the matter is that will only make matters worse, as somebody said recently, "a rising blizzard of clutter".
Attempts to beat clutter only end up yielding more of it, a bitter irony bound to have dire consequences for a business already struggling with questions of relevance and effectiveness. Simply put, the advertising industry is crushing itself under the weight of its own messages!
The better mousetrap is still here…in fact better than ever, just listen to this.
Over the last decade a consensus has formed among researchers that the power of television commercials to affect sales range from the insignificant to the non-existent.
Some of the most acclaimed and memorable ads of all times have been pretty awful at doing what they were created for i.e. sell products.
However that is not the fault of the TV stations, and it is unfair that they should now be the subject of such soul searching.
The commercials sometime look good and yes, viewers enjoy them, but make them buy the product?
Again, however this consensus is not the fault of the television industry.
When interactive "events" have been prepared together with a direct request for the viewer to pay particular attention to participating TV commercials, there has always been a substantial and measurable lift in brand awareness, message comprehension, which has always lead through to increases in sales.
Now there's your better mousetrap!
Social Media – An epic tulipomania in the making!
The Internet is not an advertising medium, people log onto the Internet to go somewhere, not see advertisements!
Have you heard the one about Super-bowl Ads?
How much longer can Clients go on paying $3 million for a 30-second spot that doesn't wotk?
Rethinking Marketing Strategies: A Call to Chinese Entrepreneurs
In an era where the Chinese economy is making remarkable strides, it's crucial for Chinese entrepreneurs to critically evaluate the effectiveness of traditional advertising methods. The Western world's advertising industry, often perceived as superior, is increasingly being challenged by evidence suggesting that advertising may not be as effective as once believed. This article delves into the pitfalls of conventional advertising and explores the need for innovative communication strategies in the 21st century.
