Did you watch a lot of television over the holidays? If you did, you were treated to an endless display of jolly Santas, smiling shoppers, and oh-so-friendly store personnel who desperately wanted to make your holidays brighter and leave your wallet a little lighter!
Sure, most television advertising is fantasy, a pretty picture painted to tempt the viewer’s curiosity and interest. But as I sat back and watched the local news in a number of markets last month, I was reminded of one fact: businesses’ sheer existence does not necessarily warrant my attention...or my money.
To me, it all comes down to one thing: the offer. What’s in it for me? Why should I go out of my way to go outside in sub-zero temperatures, drive for a half-hour, fight for a parking spot, and be ignored by stone-faced store clerks? Is it because you say it’s “The time of the season at (local business name here)”? Give me a break! Make me an offer—I want a great deal!
To illustrate the lack of any unique offer in so many of the television ads I watched, I created a chart. With the help of some friends around the country, I monitored the 6 p.m. news on a broadcast television station in each of four different markets. The chart below shows how I quantified the differences between the ad messages.
Market"Offer Ads""Image" Ads Boston, MA35Htd>65Htd>Seattle, WA32Htd>68Htd>Buffalo, NY50Htd>50Htd>Rochester, NY45Htd>55Htd>Select 6 p.m. news broadcasts, December 2002
This poll was not scientific by any nature, but it did serve to reinforce my original concept: More advertisers need to create even better offers to attract today’s nervous consumers.
I expected to see more “offers” emanating from the smaller markets. The price of a small market 6 p.m. news commercial is more affordable for the average small business owner, and that same owner is more likely to be involved in the creation of the ad message itself. Television advertisers in large markets have a higher likelihood of having a multimedia advertising arsenal, and may publicize the “offer” message through print or direct mail campaigns.
Television ads need not all take on the look and feel of a typical direct-response commercial. Just, as you’re filling the screen for 30 seconds with images of happiness and joy, give me a really good reason to purchase your product or service.
With this in mind, I sat down with a business owner last month who wanted to hit a year-end sales goal. His target was an aggressive figure. Our meeting was also three weeks before New Year’s, and two weeks before Christmas! You get the idea—it’s a busy time of the year for your everyday customer. I knew we needed to hit this campaign hard, and that the offer needed to be a compelling one.
A brainstorming session was executed with one objective in mind: What would it take to get people to take action, come to the store, and consider making a large purchase at the end of the year? Campaign results were unavailable by this column’s deadline, but if you want to know how we did, just send me an email at the address below and I’ll give you the details.
As we all face an uncertain year ahead, I’m confident of this: The creation of an offer and a unique selling proposition should be an integral part of your advertising sales efforts. Without it, you’re just creating video wallpaper.
Note: The writer's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the position of HBI, Inc. Jeffrey Ulrich is a member of the sales team at WHEC, Rochester, NY. He can be reached through his website: www.hidefjeff.com or julrich@uemedia.com.
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