Surprise! Good Advertising Needs Good Product

It may seem obvious, but before you spend time and money on advertising and public relations, you need to focus on producing a high quality product or service. For example, consider the difficulty Microsoft has faced with its new operating system Windows Vista. The corporation has invested vast amounts of resources developing and marketing this new software, only to see it encounter widespread criticism from both industry professionals and customers. Once you’ve taken care of product and/or service quality, it’s time to develop and actionable marketing strategy. First, think about the scope of your target market. It may be an entire state or region, or it may be a small percentage of the people living in Idaho. Nevertheless, marketing effectively to any demographic requires you to think like your target market. If you don’t have them in mind, the outcome may not be pleasant, regardless of the amount of advertising you do.

Think about Windows Vista. Microsoft is a huge, successful company. They invested their money in developing and marketing this new software. In the end, it was a big flop. Many people had grievances about the practicality of the product. It didn’t matter that Vista had Microsoft’s advertising dollars behind it – it was a failure.

Content Conducting Inadvertent Online Marketing

Think about your Web site. Many people attempt to bewitch and amaze using a lot of flash, games, widgets, and other intriguing features. These implements may do well, but should you heavily depend on them?

It may seem counterintuitive, but clear, concise, and relevant content attracts customers. Think about this in relation to a movie. A movie can have an enormous number of special effects, explosions, and stunts, yet lack an interesting storyline. Another film may diminish the amount of ‘visual exhilaration’, but maintains a viewer’s attention due to its dialogue, character development, and theme. Think about the Oscar Awards. Which film is more likely to win the ‘Best Movie’ award?

Good copy is genuine, captivating, and costs less!

Practical Advertising and Marketing

A lot of good marketing focuses not so much on the product/service, but on what the product/service represents to the consumer. Many companies fail to see this connection. Much of their marketing and advertising stays focused on the company and/or the product/service rather than the needs/wants of the targeted consumer.

A good example of this was a Folger’s coffee commercial appearing in the early 90s. A man, amidst a very busy morning, continuously makes errors in judgment and experiences the repercussions. The next shot shows the man awakening from this bad dream. He goes about the same morning, but this time, he experiences success and a vibrant attitude. The last shot reveals a flashback, which was the deciding factor of his fate – him making his morning coffee with Folgers. The commercial wasn’t about the tradition of Folgers as a company, it wasn’t about the great taste compared to brand X, but it was about the needs of the consumer.

Being Risqué May Damage Public Relations

“Any press is good press.” You may have heard this philosophy, and some are comfortable in supporting it. Engaging in public relations is difficult for many companies. Every company wants exposure because it is free advertising; but, at what cost are they willing to pay for it? Some businesses attempt to leverage a ‘touchy’ or ‘negative’ situation and use it for publicity. Publicity is tremendous, but do you want it in exchange for your integrity?

Recently, Warner Bros.’ Dark Knight has done phenomenally at the box office. It is breaking all kinds of records. Could they have created more of a mystique and hysteria around the movie by exploiting the death of Heath Ledger? It is a very plausible possibility. Yet, they handled the situation delicately and with class. They asked Ledger’s family about their comfort level in regards to posters, commercials, and billboards. They promoted the movie as a whole rather than focusing on a sensationalistic aspect.

Expand on Your Marketing Appeal

Though you should always keep your target market in mind, is there a chance you can expand on your appeal without losing the original focus? Study your consumers and understand what it is that makes them purchase your products/services. Once you realize the alluring essence of your product, you will be able to take that formula and apply it to other marketing and advertising platforms.

The widely popular Chicken Soup for the Soul, for example, found such a large audience that the publishers decided to expand the series by making it more particular. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul were a few of the series’ many reincarnations.

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