Doug DavidoffUSA Today reports that 80% of marketers surveyed in a recent Association of National Advertisers study feel that advertising is “less effective than it was just two years ago.” Welcome to the club.
The point of this for executives of fast-growth companies should not be that advertising is less effective (we figured that out a while ago), but why is it less effective. Why do people want to avoid advertising?
Just yesterday, at a program I was presenting, an attendee was talking to me about how difficult it was to get prospects to call his salespeople back when they are cold calling. He said, “There’s got to be a better way.” I agree. The better way would be to find a reason to make prospects want to call them back.
Advertising is based on manipulation and controlling information. It’s an industrial-age creation. It’s dead now (or at least well on its way). Stop trying to fix it. Throw it away. Rethink and rebuild your message from the ground up. Start by understanding your prospects first before you ask them to understand your offering. Make the conversation you have with them meaningful, honest and worthwhile and it will work.