M>Pact | Summer 2003
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2003 | Archive.
Advertising with “marketing thinking”
by Jaques Palin / Art Director
I recently read an article about a medical doctor who wrote that most advertising agencies know nothing about advertising. He said that 80% of all agencies are a waste of money. His reasoning was that agencies hire art school graduates who know little to nothing about advertising. He argued that “pretty” designs look sharp and would likely win lots of awards, but that they have no value because they do not generate results. He subsequently decided to design his own black and white ads.
Obviously the doctor is oversimplifying design and designers, but he has a point. Design should be done in conjunction with a marketing strategy/plan in order to produce the best results. It is quite shortsighted to say that “pretty” design does not sell. Of course it does, but not as well as “pretty” design made better by the “marketing thinking” behind it. In our opinion, all designers should be marketers first and designers second.
To measure the effectiveness of the design, use tools such as direct response devices and coded coupons. Ask clients where they heard about you. These techniques will aid you in knowing how effective your advertising is and where to allocate your budget. Don’t let your agency try to boost your ego with ads that will make you feel better about yourself. That’s not important. Sales are. Ask your agency what their reasoning behind the art is, and how that will accomplish the goals you set for them.
Unfortunately there are many people like the doctor, who have been “done in” by well-intended agencies who did not understand advertising. Isn’t that ironic? Next time, demand the “pretty” designs with the “marketing thinking” behind them.
The spam stops here
If you’re like us, you probably feel like you’re losing hours every week trying to rid your inbox of those unwanted e-mails advertising get-rich-quick schemes, cheap vacations, online college degrees – or worse. But before you change your e-mail address again, there’s an online service you’ll want to check out.
Spam Arrest is a simple, low-cost solution for controlling the e-mail messages that reach your inbox. Once you take a few minutes to set up Spam Arrest, there’s nothing to do but sit back and watch your personal productivity increase simply because you won’t be wasting all that ime deleting messages.
For as low as $2.05 per month, you can begin to win your own war against spam. Spam Arrest even offers a 30-day free trial to you can see how it works for yourself.
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New & noteworthy clients
Nouveau Urban Wear is a new online clothing company offering the latest styles in urban fashion. MCG is currently developing their corporate identity and website/catalog.
http://www.nouveauurbanwear.com
A world of demographic data
Want to start marketing globally? Check out The US Census International Data Base (IDB), a computerized data bank containing statistical tables of demographic, and socioeconomic data for 227 countries.
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbnew.html or go to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/ for US information from various counties and states. Know your market.
StringBand finds success
When MCG started working with local favorites Robinella and the CCStringBand on the redesign of robinella.com, the band was building up their fanbase, working toward negotiating a major record-label deal. Since then, they’ve been signed to Sony’s Columbia Legacy label, released their self-titled major label debut CD, and played numerous venues, from the Grand Old Opry to Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Robinella.com has also grown in popularity along with the band. The site, designed by Morris Creative and updated regularly by the band, has enjoyed a steady growth in visitors ever since it was posted, with much of the traffic coming from web search engines. Fans can check the site regularly for band news and tour info.
In between their increasingly busy touring schedule, the East Tennessee natives still keep regular gigs in Knoxville. If you’re in town, you can catch Robin and the boys at the Preservation Pub in Market Square every Monday night.
Ask Uncle Chuck
Got a perplexing marketing problem? Send it to Uncle Chuck. He’s an old guy, and he may not have the answer, but he’ll do his darnedest to find somebody that does.
Q: Should advertising be measured on sales results?
A: Certainly, advertising’s effectiveness must be measured. However, there may not be a direct correlation between advertising and sales. For example, your advertising may generate many qualified leads, but for whatever reason, your sales force may not be able to close those prospects.
I counsel our clients to think of advertising as an investment over time. You don’t put money in a money market account and expect to withdraw the interest earned the very next day. Careful planning, patience, and above all, consistent marketing effort over time will always generate bottom-line results. Don’t wait until sales have fallen off sharply to do a campaign. It will likely be too late.
— Uncle Chuck
Quote of the month
“In good times, people want to advertise; in bad times, they have to.”
— BRUCE BARTON
