Advertising is Boring?
01/06/2010 by julie von bokern
Consumers are inundated with advertising. They can be exposed to a brand’s message 10 times before even finishing their first cup of coffee in the morning. From an advertiser’s perspective, that is a very powerful thought. From a consumer’s perspective, it is overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, many consumers have begun to “tune out” advertising.
The reasons for tuning out are abundant but none fall short of the fact that the traditional way of speaking to consumers is boring. Now, keep in mind, I did not say traditional advertising is boring but the traditional way of speaking to consumers is boring. Companies have a unique opportunity to break through the clutter by changing how they are speaking to their consumers. Consumers are savvier now than they ever have been. They are seeking out engagement with brands. They want to feel that they are a part of the brand and truly “own” it.
Everyone has heard of Twitter, Facebook, You Tube and Flickr. While these are great channels to increase consumer engagement, don’t feel limited to these. I recently saw a newspaper ad promoting a text offer. The offer was for a free appetizer if you text to a certain number. Great idea and now the company has my information to use for future advertising and I’m going to dine at the restaurant to redeem my free appetizer.
A few companies that are successfully engaging their consumers are Dell, Ford and Zappos. They are successful because they have identified the appropriate ways to engage their consumers while staying true to their brand. Dell, for instance, is available for customer service on their social networks. They search out people talking about Dell and comment back, actively engaging the consumers in conversation about the brand. In addition, they run specials just for their online followers which have increased sales tremendously. Dell’s social media efforts helped to create $1 million in revenue.
When brainstorming for 2010, remember to think about ways to engage the consumers with your brand!
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.
Comments
by Bill Kelm (Brokerblogger) on 01/10/2010 at 1:32
Advertising/Marketing saturation, clutter and intrusiveness have been around in every media for a long time. Back in 2005, I blogged about a Jacob Nielsen study in my “Do You Hate These Online Advertising Techniques?”( http://www.brokerblogger.com/brokerblogger/2005/10/do_you_hate_the.html ). Here we are today over 4 years later, and IMO too much of online advertising today still has these hated advertising techniques that cause a “tune out”.
You are right about Social Media advertising/marketing being more effective for many reasons. Howvever, the companies engaging in it need to remember this: “Open, Honest, Upfront, and Good (O’HUG) Communication combined with empathy for the other party is imperative in having all go smoothly. Good communication, by the way, should be clear, conspicuous, comprehensive, and most importantly, completely comprehended.”
by Ricardo Schrappe on 01/21/2010 at 1:37
I think it’s all about permission marketing. If you’re nice and interesting and respectful, you will always be welcome, no matter what channel you are in.
Best regards from Curitiba, Brazil.
by Andy Wilmot on 03/14/2010 at 7:13
While watching TV , when the ad’s come on it’s mute it or fast forward of videotape ...... they all shout at you with repeatitive throbing music and with raised volume . The only things these ad’s sell are more batteries for the remote control .
by Timothy R. Cox on 01/08/2010 at 11:44
What a nice overview of the great and innovated ways companies reach out to the consumer. As a young man and before the net, facebook, ect, the greatest advertising was word of mouth followed by an agreement between seller and consumer at whitch time goods or services were deliverd prompt and as expected. At that time a relationship would grow and both parties would prosper and have a long lasting working relationship.In short take care of your customers and they will take care of you. Be honest, polite and never play both sides against the middle.