I like walks in the park, sunsets... wait, no I don't. I'll tell you what you need to know about me. I have an unhealthy obsession with advertising. It wakes me up in the night, I have season recordings of shows on QVC so I can watch infomercials, study them, map them out, and try and pick up SOMETHING that is going to give me the edge in the next piece I write. I find myself obsessively mapping out common advertising, and have been known to stand up in my living room and applaud a commercial I think hits a home run.
I sync call center feeds with my iPhone so I can listen to "real" calls while I drive, exercise, and sit in the bathroom. I listen to affirmations every night while I sleep which is probably why I have developed this unhealthy obsession.
Oh, and I almost forgot. If you're looking for a person to head up your next advertising project, I'm the man you want on your side because if I'm not on your side, then I'm working for your competitor. You may not want to have me over for burgers and beer, but you definitely want me writing your stuff.
Mahalo
Tom
There are really several different ways to look at the commercials from the Super Bowl.
Which commercials actually sold product, generated leads, or accomplished their objective?
AND.... which commercials were able to get that "chatter" going in the days following the Super Bowl?
Admit it; sometimes it is hard to keep your mind fresh. However, like anything worth doing in this life, we must continue to work at.
The simple fact is this: when we have a fresh mind, we are able to see what is really standing before us, we are able to better serve our clients, and we are able to find that "one idea" that changes everything.
Yesterday afternoon I went downstairs to take a pee.
As I lifted up the toilet seat, I noticed a new mini-poster hanging on the wall above the toilet. The mini-poster had an artistic graphic on it with the headline, "Guys, please put the seat down when you are done."
Driving to work this morning, I passed a billboard on my left.
As I looked to try and read it. As I read the headline on the billboard, I did a double take. (keeping in mind that I'm driving while reading, something that is important to consider if you waste your money on billboards in the first place)....
A customer of ours, fresh off a conference call with a fellow marketing expert, called me in a panic just before his piece went to press. The piece we were about to print had a strong headline in it, and he wanted to take a moment to revisit whether using a headline was a good idea or not.
I listen to a lot of satellite radio, which means I get to hear a lot of great commercials. The commercial I heard this morning for Hyson Headache Medicine was NOT one of these great commercials. The composition of all the elements was very well done, but the components they used for their argument were horrendous. Here is their headline: "Not tonight Honey....
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Rick Hanshaw |
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The results have been amazing! I now understand the entire strategy behind his approach, and I see what I didn't see before. My clients constantly remark about the letter I sent and how mine was the only one they saved. It's all in the approach. Tom's instincts and guidance have been instrumental in building a reliable marketing system that sometimes works too well - what a terrible problem!! |
...The results have been amazing! ...  |
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"If the
prospect understood the proposition, he would not have to be sold
- he would come to buy." - James Patterson, Founder of National Cash Register |
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| Copyright © 2012 Tom Richard |
