It used to be that advertising was a great way to reach consumers. During the 1960s, there were an average of 5.7 tv channels per household, so there was a pretty good chance marketers could reach a large number of people cost effectively through advertising. Now, each household receives on average 82.4 channels, many have tivo and skip commercials, and many people multitask, so advertisers must fight for the attention of their viewers.
The Super Bowl happens to be the most popular show on tv and it’s known as much for its entertaining commercials as the game – and in some years, the commercials are far more exciting than the game itself. In a world where advertising is all around us – heck, we can’t even see a movie anymore without 10 minutes of advertising forced upon us (before the previews) – marketers are willing to pay top dollar to get in front of such a willing audience (this year, $2.4 million for a 30 second spot.)
Still, to have an impact, companies have to do something really interesting to make their ads stand out. FexEx did a tongue-in-cheek homage to the lengths advertisers go to in Super Bowl commercials. Their rundown for the 10 things necessary for a great commercial is as follows:
- celebrity
- animal
- dancing animal
- cute kid
- groin kick
- talking animal
- attractive females
- product message (optional)
- famous pop song
- bonus ending
Notice what they mention and that they mention that the product message is optional! People aren’t really watching for the product – they want to be entertained!
Unfortunately, that defeats the purpose of advertising, which is to build awareness of your company and its products and services. Luckily, the day after the game, the media runs polls and posts the ads online, clearly labeling which commercial went with which company (in case you missed the connection).
That’s great if you’re a Fortune 100 company with the big bucks to advertise during prime viewing, but what happens when you’re the little guy? So many other commercials are just mediocre. And it’s not just commercials – print ads today rarely capture people’s attention.
There lies the problem. Salesmen are quick to call you up and tell you lots of people read their publication each and every day, so why don’t you shell out a few thousand dollars for 6 months of small business advertising. You’re phone will be ringing off the hook in no time!
That’s wishful thinking – yet people get caught up in what seems like a sure thing and hand over their credit card numbers without much thought. Hey, the salesman will even create the ad for them.
The truth of the matter is that if your ad doesn’t capture your prospect’s attention – if it’s not creative enough, or doesn’t stand out in any way, or doesn’t offer something of value – people will tune you out or turn the page. That’s not creating brand awareness – that’s people actively ignoring you.
Small business advertising is most effective if it’s tailored to a narrowly targeted group of people and addresses their main concern in an interesting way (either creatively or offering something of value like a free guide). If you’re targeting everyone in the world that might have a need for your service, you’re talking to no one – no one will listen.
Join our weekly Marketing Success mailing list and receive our free 43-page Small Business Marketing Plan guide. 
