Advertising still works ... if you do it right

The first step in developing an advertisement is to prepare a creative brief. A creative brief is an executive summary of the marketing plan that is being applied, and, as such, it should include the following:

- Definition of marketing/business objectives and specific note of which of these objectives can be addressed by advertising versus other elements of the marketing plan
- Definition of advertising objectives (awareness, lead generation, etc.)
- Indication of the type(s) of ad required and likely media approach (print, TV, billboards, online, etc.)
- Specification of target markets
- Description of the target audience (industry type, job function, etc.)
- Focus of the ad (technology, applications, product description, etc.)
- Competitive overview and key differentiators for product/brand to be advertised Single overriding impression the ad should make (key message)
- Key features that support key messaging
- Fulfillment requirements
- Budget requirements
- Timing

Production Timeframes

It takes time to develop strong advertising with eye-catching creative and engaging messaging that supports brand development. Assume an average of 1-2 weeks for the agency to develop initial concepts after receiving the final strategy and another 1-2 weeks for revisions based on feedback and then 1-4 weeks for production of the ad(s) depending on the complexity of the final product. A television commercial for example will take much more time to plan, shoot and edit than a print ad. That said, production timeframes should be developed based on specific business needs and considered as early in the creative process as possible.

Traditional Advertising

From print-based designs to radio and television broadcast, traditional advertising runs the gamut in terms of color, size, shape, duration and cost; but, in the end, most varieties of advertising ultimately seek to deliver a similar message and achieve a like objective: Advertising is designed to blanket a market, establish a brand and then lay a foundation for subsequent marketing attacks. Regardless of the service or product that is being showcased, advertising attempts to best position a service/product and then adjust the audience's perspective to alter buyer behavior and potentially augment sales.

A few types of traditional advertisements include:

Newspaper print -- can be black-and-white, full-color or spot-color
Magazine print - can also be black-and-white, full-color or spot-color
Outdoor/billboard
Radio commercial
TV commercial

In general, strong advertising stems from a real understanding of the marketplace. To improve effectiveness, it's important to know everything there is to know about your market and target audience.

Lifecycles and Measuring Success

As is the case with most forms of marketing, the lifecycle of an individual ad or overall campaign is ultimately determined by end goal and type of initiative conducted- effectiveness is best determined over time. In fact, advertising, while often considered the most intrusive of the marketing tools, relies more on subtlety than anything else. Sure, a big glitzy ad attracts loads of attention, but, then again, how often do buyers make decisions based strictly on ads? Or more accurately, how often do buyers admit making decisions based strictly on ads? In other words, it is the task of advertising to first scream its message from the rooftops and to then whisper in the audience's ear for the remainder of the brand's relationship with the customer. In truth, advertising does more to make customers feel better about your brand post-purchase than just about any other form of marketing.

To measure success in terms of advertising it is vital that adequate pre- and post awareness research be conducted to paint an accurate picture as to perceptions in the marketplace. While it is possible to loosely gauge sales conversions that may or may not have resulted directly from an advertising campaign, advertising drives trends-trends that form the basis of marketing success.

Online/New Media Advertising

Advertisements on the Web include banners, videos, contextual ads and a host of other types. Online media advertisements differ in implementation and targeting from traditional forms of advertising, but they rely on the same fundamental strategy. Online advertisements reinforce branding and overall messaging, provide even more flexibility to target various audiences and can also stimulate direct response much like direct marketing methodologies.

A few types of online/new media advertisements include:

- Static banner
- Banner animation
- Social ads
- Text-based (e.g. email/newsletter sponsorships)
- Vanity website
- Landing pages
- Microsites
- Contextual ads
- Follow-me ads
- And many more

Online Strategies/Value

Just like with traditional advertising, the more you know about your market/target audience/competition, the better you can develop a campaign that will deliver positive results. Please note, however, online advertising offers marketers a significant advantage over traditional forms: Online media can provide specific response numbers, and ongoing flexibility that supports testing and real-time changes.

Lifecycles/Measuring Online Success

The proliferation of reporting tools has enabled marketers to deliver specific and focused ads in a relevant environment to a more receptive audience. The medium also provides the target audience with the choice of learning more about the product/brand immediately by linking to further information on the company's website and potentially, an online sale. This means, that unlike traditional forms of advertising, the effectiveness of online/new media advertisements can be better measured based on click-throughs, interaction and actual conversions-behavior that results in a closed sale-directly attributable to a specific advertisement.

Do's

Do study the competition's use of advertising
Do develop advertisements that are consistent with branding/overall image
Do keep the message simple
Do tell the reader what they need to know
Do make sure to disclose all necessary information
Do pay careful attention to creative design and use of color
Do research publications to leverage buying power when placing ads
Do test advertisement(s) for effectiveness and ability to meet agreed-upon objectives
Do keep a close eye on online/new media ads
Do update message and design as necessary

Don'ts

Don't waste words
Don't use terms or phrases that are not meaningful to your audience
Don't make a message longer than it needs to be
Don't rely on gimmicks to shock your audience
Don't overdo the creative
Don't undermine branding
Don't graphically misrepresent product
Don't make false performance claims
Don't pay for more than you need
Don't be disappointed by initial ad performance-time will tell the full story

February 1, 2012

Matawan, NJ- Repaz Marketing (http://www.repaz.com) is celebrating Valentine's Day by offering New Jersey businesses 20% savings on all marketing services during the month of February when they devote time, money or supplies to any New Jersey animal shelter or rescue organization.

Repaz is a Monmouth County NJ marketing company specializing in Internet marketing, marketing strategy, reputation management and website design. "Due to the economy there are tens of thousands of loving dogs and cats seeking new homes in NJ," said Repaz Marketing owner Mechele Shoneman, "what better way to show a little Valentines Day love then giving back to needy pets?"

Businesses can qualify for this deep 20% discount by donating money, goods or time to local shelters like the Associated Humane Society in Tinton Falls or the SPCA in Eatontown. Or, they can contribute the same, plus time walking dogs with local rescue groups like Rescue Ridge in Spring Lake or All Critters Rescue. "Any human interaction helps shelter animals stay social, and hence, more adoptable. Plus, what could be a better tribute to Valentine's Day than giving a little puppy love to animals that need it the most" said Mechele. As part of this promotion, Jersey Shore Pet Care also offer a 10% discount on all pet care services to those who give back to homeless cats and dogs during the month of February.

Repaz Marketing loves dogs and makes no secret of it. Every month Repaz devotes ten hours a month to local Monmouth County rescue organizations like Rescue Ridge and Little Silver Animal Hospital Foundation, helping to raise funds, plan events and walk dogs. Additionally, Mechele runs a virtual rescue site, www.largedogs.com, and has 5 rescue dogs of her own- in addition to guinea pigs and hamsters.

"Hopefully,this spirit of giving will strike a chord with business owners in the area that love their dogs and cats and want spread the love- while at the same time helping their business.

The average consumer is assaulted with over 2,400 ads a day via radio, TV, Internet and print media. "You've got to ask yourself- what will it take for my message to break through the noise?" Repaz has over 20 years expertise in marketing communications, strategy and web development helping clients get found.

Over 1 billion searches are performed daily on Google and many of these are directly attributable to the 63% of a company's market value that stems from their reputation. Repaz takes a different approach to marketing strategy by focusing on reputation management. The idea is based on the principle that a referral from a trusted source can have more impact than an expensive campaign.

Google indexes more than 20 billion pages of content, and the fastest growing portion is user-generated content, largely fueled by blogs, microblogs, social sites and the syndication apps that drive them. Consumer opinion (also known as crowdsourcing) drives reputation more than ever before and social media is like word of mouth (WOM) on steroids.

"In this age of hyper-connectedness, WOM can do more for sales than traditional marketing tactics," said Mechele. "However, it needs to be handled very delicately as the tide can turn very quickly; and 'reputation sting' isn't just a large company problem. Local businesses run similar risks."

Some bad reviews on local search sites like MerchantCircle, SuperPages or Kudzu, can quickly turn away prospective clients. Repaz Marketing helps clients stay in control of what people are saying about their businesses with targeted marketing that supports their reputation.

According to Mechele, "Donating time and money to animal rescue groups and shelters is a great way to build your reputation in the community!"