In light of the emphasis being made here on Web 2.0 and Social Media (and we at Radio Twit are nothing if not both of those), it seemed like a good idea to introduce an item I've shared elsewhere. So, if your one of my faithful readers and you've seen this before, forgive the redundancy. If you haven't seen it before, it's germane to you--and you might also want to share it with any sales people who need a little boost.
THE ECONOMY SUCKS--BUY MORE ADVERTISING?
No, it's not just the claim of sales people who want more business.
Yes, historically speaking, buying more advertising in an economic downturn really does work.
Of course, I can sit here, talking about theories all day.
And it's easy for me to say, "The economy sucks! Buy more advertising!"
Slow Burn Marketing don't presently have any clients with ongoing traditional media schedules. (Right now, all our clients are either engaging in web and guerilla marketing, or are just getting their marketing off the ground for the first time--which means we're embroiled in devising strategy and creating branding materials--which is a whole other kind of insanity.)
So, I'm relegated to citing proven historical facts.
AND TODAY, WE HAVE A NEW, RECENT HISTORICAL FACT TO CITE
It comes courtesy of David McBride, a radio account rep in Los Angeles.
David has always been very happy to bang the drum for increased ad spending in an economic downturn. That's why, last week, he was able to say this:
I just met with a client of mine that INCREASED
advertising in 2009 (what a nut, huh?); this company
had their best year ever... This client increased their
advertising budget in 2009 and hit a business goal
that has been eluding them for the past four years.
YA KNOW WHAT'S SO COOL ABOUT THIS?
It's not just that this advertiser had their best year ever.
It's that, by increasing ad spending, they reached a goal that had until then been utterly elusive.
To paraphrase William Wrigley, the chewing gum magnate who famously advertised his gum all during wartime when it wasn't available to consumers, advertising is an engine that drives the business.
To paraphrase John Wanamaker, the department store magnate who famously created advertising as we know it, half of all money spent onadvertising is wasted--the trouble is, you can't know which half.
I've espoused Wanamaker's philosophy before.
HERE'S WHERE I'M GOING TO SAY WANAMAKER DOESN'T APPLY
For the small business who has increased advertising and finally reached an elusive sales goal, I don't think ANY of those ad dollars were wasted.
I doubt he will either.
And that advertiser is not the only one of David's clients who's doing well. He has "a few others [who] did the exact opposite of what the conventional wisdom told them to do and they flourished. Many, passing some of their biggest competitors in the process."
WHAT'S DAVID'S MAGIC?
It's not so magical.
It's merely candor--candor of the kind that so many readers to his pathetic weekly screed already possess:
I tell them the truth regarding their advertising
whether they want to hear it or not... I'm not the
typical media rep that tells them what they want
to hear. This is why I can discuss success
stories in the middle of a recession when others
are crying the blues.
Apparently, if telling his clients the truth hurts, it hurts so good.
Special thanks to David McBride, who had no idea he was going to be quoted so liberally in this screed. I had no choice. He inspired me.
A radio advertising Creative Director in Los Angeles for over a decade, Blaine Parker is a principal in Slow Burn Marketing LLC, a small and feisty marketing agency perched on a mountaintop outside Park City, UT. If you'd like to see more of his pathetic weekly screeds, feel free to visit www.slowburnblog.com
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