Ok, here it is. The things you've always wanted to know about advertising , but no one would tell you.  This is going to apply to all forms and all media. And here's the good part: anyone who follows these rules will have a successful campaign.  However, any variation on the rules, and your results may be less than you would like.  Ready?

1. Identify your customer.  What is the quality or emotion that drives them to desire your product?  What would keep them from committing to a purchase?

2. Write one sentence that answers either of those two questions.

There, wasn't that simple?

Sadly, there will still be folks who believe they must mention every product on their shelves, or try to be everything to everybody, or use stale, trite phrases that the listener won't hear, or try to put a minute and a half of copy into a sixty second spot, or try to put an entire paragraph on a billboard, or try to write a book inside a three column newspaper ad.

Even sadder, after doing just that and seeing no results, they will then claim that advertising doesn't work.

Here's some folks who have done it right - "It's everywhere you want to be." What would have happened if they had said, "For all your charge card needs"?    How about "You deserve a break today". Fortunately, they chose NOT to say "We have burgers with one patty, with two patties, we have fish, salads, potatoes, oh, and don't forget to come by at breakfast..." Or even - "Celebrate the moments of your life", not: "You have to have film in your camera, so buy ours."

Now it's quiz time. What was the one thing that each of the above successful ad slogans had in common? The word -YOU- is in each of them.  Advertising is about the customer's wants and desires, not about how much product you have to move this month. 

Thanks for reading

Ron Harper - June 2004

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