Ads with snap, crackle and pop
Ray Allegrezza, Editor-in-chief -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2009
While the earliest recorded evidence of advertising dates back to billboards that the ancient Egyptians crafted on sheets of papyrus, the odds are good that it started well before that time.
And while advertising messages have changed over the years, the objective — to get someone to buy what you sell — has essentially been a constant since before King Tut first sat on the throne.
Even so, the most effective advertising tends to speak to an issue or issues closest to the customer's head, heart and or wallet.
As a result, have you noticed the focus of many of the ads out there today? As we struggle to dig ourselves out of this recession, a growing number of companies are rolling out ad campaigns that apparently hope to ultimately sell their goods by first selling consumers on a sense of security.
Automaker Hyundai, for instance, is telling shoppers that if they buy a car and lose their job, the company will take the car back. A national retailer of men's apparel is following suit, so to speak — if you buy a suit for $199 and then lose your job, you can keep the duds.
While some observers may see those pitches as last-ditch efforts to sell, I actually think companies that send that kind of message also are conveying a sense of confidence and optimism. If you really believed you would get stiffed on every suit or car you sold, there's no way you make that offer.
Another trend I've noticed involves a growing cadre of retailers pitching value.
I know that during tough times the first reaction may be to pull in your horns, but historically those who have resisted doing so have won.
Case in point: During the 1920s, Post and Kellogg were dueling over a new-fangled product called boxed cereal. When the Depression hit, Post cut its ad budget while Kellogg doubled its spend and even rolled out a new brand, Rice Krispies.
Long story short, Kellogg ate not only Post's lunch, but breakfast. Oh, and along way it boosted profitability — during the Depression — by 30%.
Now that's a story with a snap, crackle and pop ending.
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Wright Labels
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