Actually, it works really well. Last year’s total global ad spend should come in right around $1 trillion. Generally speaking, businesses don’t spend a thousand billion dollars on anything that doesn’t work. When someone says, “Advertising doesn’t work,” they’re referring to their own advertising. It’s like a diet in that sense. People who don’t lose weight will often say, “Diets don’t work.” What they typically won’t tell you is while dieting they replaced broccoli with bagels.
When advertising fails to win the ROI prize you were hoping for, it’s likely that one or more things were either ill-conceived or malfunctioned.
Media
Your media choice is simply where you are advertising. You can be on billboards, on television, on the radio, in the newspaper, in magazines, online and on social media. It’s certainly effective to be advertising in multiple places but not every place may be right for your business. Better to shout on two kinds of media than whisper on four.
Targeting
Targeting is who you want to reach and that can have an enormous effect on results. Don’t go with your favorite radio station unless they are the demographic and psychographic your business covets. Pick the stations your customers listen to! Is your customer on Facebook or X? Is your target more geographic than demographic? Maybe billboards or digital would be better. You can also play defense and consider where your competitors are advertising.
Messaging
Consumers are exposed to literally thousands of ads each day. That’s where creative comes into play. If your ad doesn’t stand out it won’t be noticed. It has to be compelling; it has to relate to your target. Your message must register on an emotional level.
Budget
The last important piece is money. Is your budget allocated correctly? Maybe you spent too much on A, and not enough on B. The media buy you made may not match the demographic of your target. A good agency will be able to look at your media buy and quickly determine if it makes sense. A good agency will help you with media choice, targeting, messaging and placement.
If you think advertising doesn’t work, call us. We’ll show you why you’re wrong.