The most common complaint about television and radio is that there are too many ads. If that was really true, Satellite radio and premium TV would have killed advertising-sponsored broadcast media. They haven’t and it doesn’t look like they will.
But the complaint still sits there and begs the question… Is the problem that there are too many ads or is the problem that most of the ads on the air today suck?
We don’t complain about too many ads during the Super Bowl even though there are more ads than any other sporting event of the year. Instead we watch closer. We critique the ads, rate them, show them to our friends, go watch them on youtube, and read what others have to say about them. We don’t complain because most of the ads are better than what we normally get.
The truth is that most ads do suck. Most ads are boring, unoffensive drivel that doesn’t move the needle. Heck, it doesn’t even get you to pay attention and listen.
It doesn’t have to be that way. At least not for your ads. You can start producing better ads right now and something amazing will happen. Your ads will not only work better, they will stand out head and shoulders above the rest of the noise.
Roy H. Williams, aka The Wizard of Ads, wrote two pieces about creating ads that anyone who advertises should have taped to their wall. The first was posted back in 2009 and is every bit as relevant today. The second was just published in last week’s Monday Morning Memo.
Bookmark them. Read them. Print them. Read them again. Follow them. Your ads will stand out. Your ads will work harder than ever before. Your ads will never be part of the too many ads on the air complaint. Instead, your fans will be saying, “I wish more people advertised like you do.”
That means they are paying attention and listening.
-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com
PS Soon I will be launching a new eBook in the Freebies section on simple ways you can make your ads stand out amid the clutter. Think of it as a companion piece to the two Roy articles above (that I read regularly, over and over and over.)
PPS Before you start crafting your message, however, I highly recommend you read what Tim Miles wrote here first. He’s one smart cookie. His clients do better than industry averages across the board.