Non-specific

In the height of the do-it-yourself season, I heard a commercial that targeted this market well.  The commercial is for Patio Town.  Spokesperson Elizabeth Reis says these lines:

• “You have questions; they have answers.
• You have a budget; they’ll stick to it.
• You have a vision; they’ll make it a reality.”

She ends with the stores’ tag line, “Patio Town where you can do it yourself, but you’re not on your own.“

All of these points directly appeal to do-it-yourselfers.  First, they have questions.  Assuring them that your company offers the answers is important to them.  Second, often do-it-yourselfers have budgetary concerns.  Acknowledging that point also speaks to them.  Thirdly, many do-it-yourselfers have a vision of what they want but have no idea how to achieve it.  Accepting the responsibility of making their idea a reality positions the company as working with the customer.

This leads into the tag line of doing it yourself but not being on your own.  Promising to help rather than sell product projects an ongoing relationship upon which the customer can rely.  It answers customers’ questions of “What’s in it for me?” to do business with Patio Town rather than another business.  It gives customers a reason to return to Patio Town time after time. 

Instead of saying a cliché line such as “for all your do-it-yourself needs,” the commercial projects that Patio Town is the place to buy do-it-yourself supplies.  The customer will get more than the product at Patio Town.  The customer will get help, too.

Many commercials do not do this.  These commercials use general, vague words that do not communicate “What’s in it for me?” to customers.  Non-specific words do not give customers reasons to buy.  They do not speak to what the customer wants.

Carefully review your commercials and ad copy.  Does your copy tell your customers “What‘s in it for me“ to do business with your company?  Is your copy specific?  Does it give your customers a reason to buy and to return?

If not, change it so that it does.       

This week's marketing trivia challenge is What copy have you experienced that answered ‘What‘s in it for me‘?  E-mail me your answer. 

Be Transparent

The commercial opened with two beautiful draft horses pulling a wide, covered wagon through the snow. Santa was seated prominently in the front behind the driver, and wreaths were hung around the wagon, adding color and a festive look. With the snow swirling around, the entire scene was enticing. My interest was piqued. What was this about?

Watching further, I saw Santa and Mrs. Claus, fresh-cut Christmas trees, and kids decorating cookies. The announcer said, “This Christmas, start a new tradition by getting your fresh cut Christmas tree and enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, cookie decorating for the kids, and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus at Vino in the Valley.”

“Nice commercial,” I thought. “It’s very well done. Where is Vino in the Valley?”

The commercial never told me. It’s only information was vinointhevalley.com at the end. “Where is that?” I wondered. “Did I miss the location?”

The next time that the commercial aired, I missed part of it and thought that I must have missed the location once again. The third time that I caught it, I made a point to run it back and watch it all the way through. The only information it contained was vinointhevalley.com.

That’s not enough.

I was reminded of a consumer who told me that she wanted to go to a store, but the store never gave a street address on its commercials. It only stated the two cities where the stores were located. The consumer refused to go the extra step to find the store’s location either online or from a phone book. “I’d like to shop there,” she said, “but if they won’t tell me where they are, I’m not taking the extra time to find out.”

Her reaction surprised me initially. After thinking about it, I realized that she had a point. Why should she have gone to extra effort to find the store? What was in it for her?

As I mulled the Vino in the Valley commercial over, I thought about an ad that I was given recently which completely lacked an address. There was no address, no phone number, and no Web site. I assume that was a mistake.

Was that ad any different from the Vino in the Valley commercial?

Out of curiosity, I finally went online and checked out vinointhevalley.com. I quickly realized why the commercial directed viewers to the Web site. The location was off the beaten path and required lengthy directions. These directions could not be given on a commercial. However, leaving the location off the commercial completely was a mistake. Expecting consumers to take the extra step to find a business likely won’t happen.

As the lady I referenced earlier indicated, people are too busy to investigate. Give them the information that they need to make a decision. Vino in the Valley would have been wise to indicate its general location. By not doing so, I felt that something was wrong. Either they had forgotten or were cloaking it for some reason. The latter made me suspicious. The lack of the location irritated me.

Perhaps the Vino in the Valley people thought that because they couldn’t give all the directions, they should avoid directions entirely. Or, perhaps they thought that telling the general location might be a turnoff for some consumers. If that was their thinking, they were probably correct. However, revealing that information after a consumer has taken extra time to go to a Web site will have the same result. If the consumer wouldn’t be interested by the general location, she won’t be interested by the specific one, either. Having interrupted her schedule to go online, her disinterest may be coupled with irritation.

In your marketing, be transparent. Good marketing piques interest but does not hide or neglect important information. Give consumers what they need to know to find your business.

Switching Your Message

When I sold radio advertising, I heard an expert say that businesses switch their messages way too quickly. This holiday season I have been watching an excellent example of this with the Target commercials. Have you seen them?

The first one which caught my attention opens with a close up of a dog whining. As the camera pulls out, the viewer sees an elderly man standing beside the dog. Next to him is another guy. All three are looking at the outside of a house which is overdressed with lights. The guy asks why the dog is whining to which the elderly man replies, “He doesn’t like people flaunting their money.”

“But I don’t have a lot of money,” the guy states.

“I know.” This statement by the elderly man ends the commercial.

The second one shows two boys helping their father hook up video camera to TV. “How’s this?” Father asks.

“Still can’t see anything,” one of the boys replies, and they both giggle.

The boys and the viewers can see Father’s backside in the TV. Obviously, the camera is hooked up correctly, but the boys are having fun at Father’s expense. The commercial continues in this vein, and the situation is never resolved.

The third commercial involves a couple and their two children opening Christmas presents. As they tear the wrapping off a new TV, the husband comments, “I thought that we were going to hold back on spending this year.”

The wife responds, “Santa knows how to shop.”

He responds that times are tough, and they continue to have a terse exchange in front of the children who both look concerned.

I have watched these commercials several times with mixed emotions. I find the one with the boys and their grandfather humorous and the one with the two men and the dog puzzling. When I watch the one with the couple, I become uncomfortable. Seeing a couple argue in front of their children on Christmas morning makes my stomach tighten.

I had always recognized Target’s past commercials instantly. They had a consistent look. Even if I had seen the commercial for the first time, I correctly guessed that I was watching a Target commercial.

I cannot say the same for these commercials. They do not have a consistent look. They do not have a consistent message. They do not look at all like Target commercials. I assume that someone at Target thought their look ought to be updated. Consequently, the company hired a new advertising agency and developed new commercials. In this change, they left their message behind.

Switching commercials because personnel become bored with the current ones or because they think the business needs a new look is not smart. In the switch, the message, as well as the viewer’s attention, can be lost. Regarding Target, I am uncertain as to what message these new commercials intend to convey. I certainly am not receiving it.

Take a lesson from Target. Before you switch using a long-time commercial or ad, stop and think again. What are you accomplishing? How is your message presented? What does your customer think?

Answer these questions before making any switch.