“I Didn’t Know It Was On.”

Watching a weekly show about the Packers, my roommate noticed an ad from her favorite pizza place, which doesn’t normally advertise on TV. 

“Some TV sales rep talked them into advertising on TV,” I commented.  “The rep probably said that pizza and football are good combinations.”

“That’s a good place for them to advertise,” she replied.  “I would have been watching that show regularly if I’d known it was on.”  She paused briefly and then mumbled, “I didn’t know it was on.”

Here’s the process many small businesspeople go through to advertise on a TV show such as this.  The TV sales rep convinces businessperson of that this show is a good place to advertise and offers an attractive commercial package that centers around the show, likely with substantial savings.  The businessperson agrees with the sales rep’s reasoning and purchases the package.  A commercial is created for the business by the TV station.  The production cost might even be reduced or free as a part of the package.  The businessperson approves the commercial, and it airs during the show and possibly other agreed upon time periods.   

The mistake on the part of the pizza place businessperson and all the other businesspeople who are convinced by a rep to buy is that they fail to ask the right questions.  How is your station promoting this program?  When do the commercials for it air on your station?  How are you promoting it off air?

Businesspeople are wrapped up in their own decisions of whether to buy the package and what to put in the commercial.  They don’t consider if viewers know about the program, what the station is doing to get or retain viewership to it, and how those two factors affect the response to their commercial.  They don’t address these questions either before, during, or after they make the buy.

I agree that football and pizzas do mix well.  Statistics show that the high point of the year for pizza orders is during the Super Bowl.  That does not mean, however, that placing commercials for a pizza place on any football-related show is a wise move.  You need to have asked the right questions and received satisfactory answers before you can judge.  You don’t want people to be saying, “I didn’t know it was on.”

This week's marketing trivia challenge is When have you asked the right questions of a sales rep?  E-mail me your answer.

Projecting an Identity

I’ve had a sore knee and, as a result, watched a great deal of television lately.  I have seen a commercial that is very well done, and I want to share it with you.  The commercial is for Shamblott Family Dentistry.  Rachel, the dentist’s daughter, opens the commercial with “Hi, I’m Rachael Shamblott.  My dad is Dr. Scott Shamblott from Shamblott Family Dentistry.  He loves taking care of people and their teeth.” 

Rachel continues, “Some people are afraid of the dentist.”  That is followed by an agonizing scream.  She goes on, “But you don’t have to be.  My dad makes going to the dentist comfortable and even fun.”  That is followed by giggles and laughter. 

She ends the commercial with a heartfelt, “If you need a dentist, come and see my dad.  If you don’t see my dad, please see another dentist.  Take care of your teeth because they’re the only ones you get.”  To watch this commercial, go here. 

Rachael is very personable.  Her words, however, have more impact than her personality.  She speaks to the reason most people avoid going to the dentist, fear.  In plain talk she states, “Some people are afraid of the dentist.”  She states the problem people have with dentists.

After that statement, Rachael solves the problem.  “My dad makes going to the dentist comfortable and even fun.” 

She shows caring with the advice to see a dentist even if you don’t see her dad.  She gives good advice with “Take care of your teeth because they’re the only ones you get.” 

During that time the hours of Shamblott Family Dentistry are on screen, giving many options of days and times.

This commercial is excellent in many ways.  First, Rachael is fun to watch and delivers the message well.  The fact that the dentist is her father adds a personal touch.  Second, the script presents the problem many of us face going to the dentist and offers a solution to that problem.  Third, by recommending to go to the dentist whether that dentist is Dr. Shamblott or not, the commercial urges regular care of teeth.  Encouraging viewers to take care of their teeth by going to any dentist, even a competitor, is highly unusual.  Most commercials are only concerned about pushing the business paying for the ad.  Expressing concern for the viewer demonstrates Shamblott’s love of taking care of people and their teeth.

The commercial gives people a reason to do business with Shamblott Dentistry and projects an identity as a caring place that wants its patients to be healthy.  

This week's marketing trivia challenge is What identity have you seen projected?  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.

Three Simple Criteria for a Successful Ad

A rare occurrence happened to me recently. I watched a TV commercial for the first time and remembered it. The commercial was for Frog Tape. (Don't ask me why it is named that!) No, it is not tape for frogs; it is tape that you use to cover adjoining ceilings or walls prior to painting so that your paint does not dribble onto an area which you do not intend to be that color.

Not only did the commercial catch my attention, perhaps due to the name, it also held my attention throughout the entire commercial. I watched it from beginning to end.

Why?

First of all, it was very specific. The commercial used words well. Rather than deal in vague generalities by using words such as quality, best, or value, this commercial explained Frog Tape in very specific wording. "Frog Tape has a backing that works like a laminate, binding to the wall or ceiling and sealing off paint." That was such a powerful statement that I remember it clearly.

Those specific words were coupled with a demonstration of the tape on the wall. When the tape was removed after the painting was complete, no drippage was under the tape. That was compared to "other" tape which did not have Frog Tape's sealing properties. How the laminate bonded was also shown. This was excellent use of television which demonstrates the best of any medium because it uses visual and motion together.

The clincher as to why I remember the commercial is that it gave me a reason to buy. Painting requires a great deal of effort and is not a project that I relish. I like to move my painting process along smoothly so that I save time and stress. If I think that my painting is finished and then remove the tape to discover paint bleed, I am not happy. The commercial showed that happening. Therefore, at the end of the Frog Tape commercial, I said aloud, "I am getting Frog Tape for my next painting project."

This Frog Tape commercial sold me because it satisfied three simple criteria of a successful ad, whatever the medium. First, it used specific wording. Second, it employed the advertising medium well. Third, it gave the customer a reason to buy. The next time that you review an ad, hold it up against these three criteria.

Does your ad have all three?