A Clear, Simple Message

I frequently see a commercial later in the evening that is an excellent example of conveying a marketing message in a clear, simple manner.  The commercial is for 1-800-ask-gary, an marketing arm of the Louisville Injury Clinics, Inc. that offers legal and medical referrals.  In the commercial a young couple has an accident and asks their phone what to do.  The phone suggests that they contact 1-800-ask-gary, the 24/7 auto accident helpline.  The spokesperson states, “1-800-ask-gary can find you help fast and even have you talk to an attorney.  Over the past ten years, over two hundred thousand people have dialed 1-800-ask-gary to find them legal and medical help.”

What particularly struck me about this message is the name, the memorability, and the call to action.

Using Gary, a person’s name, creates a feeling of comfort. Gary sounds like someone you know, a neighbor, or a friend.  Gary sounds like someone reliable.  Gary sounds like someone you can trust.   When a person is in an accident or have a crisis that requires medical or legal help, he or she wants to turn to someone who feels trustworthy.  The name Gary does that.

Gary is also an easy name to remember.  It is short, easy to say, and quick.  In fact, the entire marketing message 1-800-ask-gary is easy to remember.  That number is repeated several times during the commercial, impressing it on the viewer through repetition.  A marketing message presented in this manner is similar to hearing a message in a jingle.  The recipient is likely to remember it.

The 1-800-ask-gary contains within it a call to action, “Ask Gary.”   Get medical or legal assistance by asking Gary what to do.  The message implies that Gary has the answers.   In addition, every repetition is this phrase, “Call 1-800-ask-gary,” which is another call to action, making the call.  Thinking about it, I don’t recall seeing two calls to action in one marketing message.  That gives a double call to action effect.  Calls to action are important because they tell the recipients what to do and encourage them to do it.  They are an important part of effective marketing.    

Very few marketing messages are this simple and clear.  Whoever developed this message invested a great deal of thought into creating it.  They wanted to make it easy to use and memorable.  They wanted the message to convey trust.  They wanted it to project a call to action.  They achieved all of that.  Their thinking created a more profitable message than encouraging people to contact Louisville Injury Clinics. 

Consider the difference that thought made.  How can you apply that in your business?           

A Wise Approach

Since I have been in the midst of getting my new book Mistakes I Made Buying Advertising to press, I have been particularly attentive to information about advertising.  The other day I received the results of a survey by Lab42 that I thought you might find interesting.  The survey topic is how much do people believe ads today?

Perhaps the most important result is that 76% of people think advertising is exaggerated.  Wow!  That is a high number.  Do you agree?  I wonder if this applies to all advertising or just national ads?  Do local businesses exaggerate their ads?  Let me know what you think in this week’s trivia.

Not surprisingly, then, only 3% of those surveyed described ads as being very accurate.  Looking closely at the other answers, 19% found ads very exaggerated, 57% viewed them as somewhat exaggerated, and 21% felt ads were somewhat accurate.

Interestingly, 38% of respondents wish ads were more accurate, and 32% claim to know what the ads are trying to do.  I’m not certain what they mean by that.  Perhaps they are referring to specific ads and what those ads are trying to accomplish. 

The three reasons these respondents said they tried new products based on ads were:

• The product was a brand they recognized;
• They discovered the product from an in-store promotion;
• They reacted to the ad by sharing it, laughing or talking about it with others.

The third reason points to how the respondents recommended that advertisers make a lasting impression with an ad.  Overwhelmingly, 71% noted that a funny ad prompts them to remember a product.  Smaller numbers went to educational 12%, sexy 8%, serious 4%, and patriotic 3%. 

A funny ad is memorable.  It is also difficult.  Ask any comedian.  Making people laugh is not easy.  If you decide to create a funny ad, be careful.  Enlist the help of someone experienced in writing and delivering material that makes people laugh. 

A wiser approach is to create an ad that speaks the language of those you want to reach.  Years ago when he was a young copywriter working for Macy‘s, Brian Tracy came up with a smart practice.  Prior to writing an ad, he spent time in the department which was being featured.  He walked among the customers, listening to their questions and comments.  He wrote them down.  Then he used this information to create the ad.  He found these ads to be effective because he used words from actual customers.  Those words spoke directly to others who were interested in the items.

Unless you have access to someone who is experienced in writing funny ads, I highly recommend that you follow Brian Tracy’s example.  Listen to what your customers say about your product or service.  Write down their comments.  Then use their words or similar ones to tell others how your products or services benefit them and solve their problems. 

You will find that customers respond to that.            
 
This week's marketing trivia challenge is Do both national and local advertisers exaggerate in their ads?  E-mail me your answer.    

I am excited to share with you that my new book, Mistakes I Made Buying Advertising, will be released in two weeks.  Watch for my video about it.         

 Congratulations to Bob who won last week’s trivia challenge by answering Which was your favorite Super Bowl commercial and why? this way:  “I guess my favorite was the farmer ad as well. However, I also like one that some took offense to. I like the VW ad, where the guy from "Minnnnnesota" keep saying we need smiles on our face. Right away the Today show was promoting it as being racist. Unfortunately, that's one of the ills this country has. We can't laugh and smile at ourselves any longer. I am Norwegian and took no offense at all - and felt the message was appropriate. You remarked about the "error" with Dodge Ram not being mentioned at the beginning. Well, the VW ad was the same way - so perhaps it is one of "the things" in the ad world today.”