I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU SELL. . .

John and his family have a meat market.  They have been a fixture in their area for two generations.  When I first met John, his radio ads were basically a list of what he sold.  Needless to say, he wasn't getting the response he wanted. 

"I already know what you sell, John," I told him, "Your name is John's Meat Market, so I wouldn't expect you to sell anything else.  Why do your customers keep coming back?"

"Well, most of them came in with their parents when they were children," he said.

BINGO!

Tradition and stability when it comes to handling food is important, especially for new customers.  The first spots we did for John were a mother talking about how she remembered visiting John's Meat Market as a little girl, and now she takes pride that she can shop there for her family.  In later spots, we recorded customers in the store, and they candidly told us the same things.  One family had moved away and were visiting again, just because it was "part of home"

Those spots gave John the response he was looking for.  Both new and old customers mentioned them at some point during their visit.

Why did they work so well?  The spots focused on the customer benefit.  If I know what you sell, you have to show me what it will do for me.  Will it make me smarter? Taller? A better dancer? Will it make me feel good about myself or change the perception of how others see me? Then, tell me.  Because I already know what you sell.

Thanks for reading

Ron Harper - March 2004

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