We tend to assume that things get better over time…
…but that’s not always the case. Even in the world of business where one would have thought that there would be a very strong incentive to continually increase effectiveness.
Take advertising, for example. Is it more effective today…in terms of driving sales…than say in the 1980s?
Following are a couple of TV/video ads for Range Rover that suggest that advertising may have lost its way a little.
I came across them as the result of an email from Gerald Woodgate, business partner of the great Drayton Bird.
Here is the first one from 1986…
Gerald reckons this is quite a good (read “effective”) ad because…
- You see the car – what they’re selling – immediately.
- Moments later the road sign – ‘Unsuitable for motors’ – sets the scene.
Both of these are really important. Because with TV ads you only have seconds to grab peoples’ attention – even less online.
The rest of the ad then demonstrates what the car can do for you.
Gerald emphasises the important point about TV and video…
“Never forget TV is a demonstration medium … the very first successful television commercials were made by somebody taking street corner hucksters selling food processors and similar gadgets through demonstration, and sticking a camera in front of them. It worked beautifully.”
From “Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing” by Drayton Bird.
Moving on…here’s a more recent ad…
Much slicker and “glossier” than the first one, I think you would agree. Technology and production values have improved. But is it any more effective in driving (no pun intended!) sales? Gerald is rather scathing…
“At the next glitzy industry awards do, this ad might win the agency a gong.
But that’s all it is: a triumph of art over advertising.
Why am I being so rude about it?
- The first 23 seconds give you no clue what’s being advertised
- It takes 24 of the ad’s 75 seconds before you see the product. Even then it’s tiny
- 28 seconds in, I recognised the car. But not everyone will. And is it the car they’re trying to sell?
- Only after 32 seconds – nearly half the ad – do you know what’s being sold.
- The voice over says ‘to go anywhere’ but they only show the car on billiard table smooth roads.
- The rest of the ad kind of demonstrates the product.
Although it’s all the interior, nothing about a Range Rovers’ ‘go anywhere’ capabilities. Clearly a sign of who buys them – and why.”
One other point that I would make is that in neither ad is there any call-to-action…even a simple web site address for more details or how to arrange a test drive. (Of course, back in 1986 a web site address wouldn’t have been that much use!).
Now…you may be thinking something like…
“All very interesting…but how is this helpful to a direct response marketer…in my training, coaching, information-marketing or other kind of business?”
A number of points to note…
- Once again we see that mainstream, “Big Brand” advertising is not necessarily effective for the purposes of increasing sales. So beware of using those kind of ads as any kind of model or guide for your own marketing and advertising.
- The principles of effective advertising remain the same, whatever the media that is being used to deliver the ad. Note the importance of quickly gaining attention (Step 1 in the classic “A-I-D-A” formula)…where the first ad succeeds in contrast to the second one.
- If you are using video, then this mini case study provides some useful indicators to create an effective ad.
Drayton Bird and his team are some of the most experienced and knowledgeable practitioners of direct response marketing. They are generous in the knowledge that they share and it’s well worth checking out what they have to offer…for example “51 FREE helpful marketing ideas – all proven and tested to improve results” at DraytonBird.com.