Are your ads causing widespread hair-pulling while unleashing anguished cries of “Ugh … Not that one again! Can’t they think of something else?!” Expect this outcome if you’re the most beastly kind of brand marketer on the planet – the ‘one-ad wonder’; the messenger with nothing better up its sleeve than that same old ad repeated over and over on the same medium, whether that be the internet, TV, or radio. Congratulations! You’ve raised annoying people to high art, doubly so if your ad includes a signature song.
You’ve worked hard to overdo it, taking the need for brand exposure to a place it never should have gone. But that’s OK. You don’t mind driving customers away. Who cares about what your accounting department want to see on the bottom line? For you, nuff’s never enough. So, the same ol’ same ol’ is the way things will be.
This type of over-advertising can take other forms that go beyond message monotony. For instance, brand marketers also can send a constant barrage of ads down the pipelines, day in and day out. Even if they’re different, they’ll seem overdone. That’ll go over well with people. And they’ll show their appreciation by rejecting you outright.
Some brand marketers, however, are natural dissenters. These upstarts believe ads should accommodate customers; win them over. For them, there’s the alternative – common sense strategies that avoid over-advertising. These method embrace time-honored insights such as ‘sometimes less is more’.
Procter and Gamble once demonstrated the validity of this insight when, in a burst of inspiration, the company trimmed its marketing spend. The result? – Rising sales over a multi-year period.
This example by no means suggests slashing advertising output to a trickle. But it does underscore the importance of finding a happy medium. Everyone has experienced advertising overload from certain brands. And we all know how excruciating the experience would be – if we didn’t reject the input with the click of a mouse or flick of a switch.
Brand marketers also can gain mileage by emphasizing the recipient not the brand. This step refocuses the messaging on the people you’re trying to reach, rather than the product or service, thereby maintaining a subtle, non-obtrusive presence. A wisp in the background. Why, they’ll never know you’re there.
And let’s not forget the old standby -- providing value. A prime example is an ad offering helpful information on a relevant topic. Few viewers recoil from input geared toward their interests and needs.
If you have questions or comments about brand marketing strategies, or any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way. You can connect with the Young Company team at 949-376-8404 or bart@youngcompany.com. And be sure to follow us for the latest brand marketing news and tips.