Marketing for Success

The Value of Advertising in Tough Times
By Ed Keller, professor of marketing, City University of New York

A colleague of mine casually mentioned that my specialty, advertising, is very much like being a used car salesman. I felt bad as I have great respect for used car salesmen. Any implication that it, or advertising, lacks integrity may be because these vocations are misunderstood. And while I may not know much about used car sales, I do know something about advertising, and how it can be a valuable asset during tough times.

Pay for Play

Let’s set the record straight. It’s no secret that if you pay for space or air time, you are going to use it to say what you want to say about your product. And it’s a pretty good guess that what you say will lack negatives about it. If that’s the case, whether or not you will be trusted depends on whether you can deliver on the promise you make. So consider the following:

1. Don’t over promise. There is a relationship between what you say and how the consumer will feel about your product or service. If you buy a used car and it doesn’t live up to the promises made about it, then you feel manipulated. That’s true about advertising your products, too.

2. Advertising is not about sales. At the least, it’s not about immediate sales. If you want that, consider a promotional event that will increase traffic. You’ll get sales, but you may have to cut your prices to do so. Remember; advertising is about brand image. This means you need to create awareness of your product or service and, by doing so, begin the process by which your customer becomes interested, and eventually persuaded to make a commitment.

3. Advertising is an investment you make in your business. And that’s why it’s often the first to be eliminated when times get tough and you need to watch your expenses. But remember, if you’re not in the game, how are you going to maintain an image that will withstand competitive pressures?

Don’t Just Survive—Succeed

Advertising is about intention. In other words, it is the vehicle that allows you to create the perception that you want your customers to have about your product or service. You may feel you can do that without advertising. But according to my research, the most successful businesses are the ones that maintain a presence even when others are not out there. These businesses wind up owning the marketplace, and they reap the benefits when things turn around and consumers re-appear.

Finally, I am not advocating advertising when you don’t have the necessary investment to accomplish what you need to do. There are plenty of tactics you can employ that will make it seem that you are out there all the time. Consider, for example, how you schedule your activity; you might want to concentrate your message over short periods of time.