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Home » Opinion » Book review
Challenge for advertisers: Keeping it clear and simple
By Wu Jiayin |
April 18, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE'S a tendency nowadays to making advertisements increasingly complex and obscure.
While such advertisements can be entertaining, they don't necessarily help sell products, veteran marketer Jack Trout reiterates in his book "In Search of the Obvious."
By comparison, obvious marketing ideas and concepts are often better, he says.
I couldn't agree more.
Several days ago, I caught a glimpse of a new TV advertisement by China Unicom, a mobile phone operator.
It began with some boys rolling iron hoops, once a common childhood game. They gasped in amazement at the rise of a Ferris wheel from the horizon. There followed several scenes in which different groups of people were awe struck at the sight of different new technologies.
Were it not for the company logo that appeared at the end of the advertisement, I would have mistaken it for a short promotion video for a big event.
Similar cases abound.
In fact, I do appreciate the creativity of such advertisements. But I often have difficulty in figuring out what they are actually promoting.
No wonder Trout says, "Sometimes I wonder if the advertising industry has lost touch with the meaning of advertising."
As in the case I cited, some advertisers mistakenly regard themselves as film directors and have produced advertisements as they would shoot movies.
Trout notes, however, that the objective of advertisements is to sell, not to entertain. He is of the opinion that a simple, obvious approach is the best way to sell a product.
This is not a new concept. Robert R. Updegraff first presented it in 1916 in a short book called "Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman."
According to Updegraff, good ideas should be simple, understandable, easy to explain, instinctive and timely.
In other words, the idea should be readily understandable by everyone you meet in daily life.
This does not mean that the idea's "simple reality" should be foolishly simplistic, though. Instead, the idea is most successful if people's first reaction after learning it is, "Why didn't we think of that?"
What sets Trout's book apart is that it develops the concept into more detailed, practical strategies that marketers can easily follow.
In many cases, the obvious solution is a matter of common sense that does not require much special technical knowledge.
Marketers just need to show and tell people what distinguishes their products.
"Unfortunately, business executives often leave their common sense out in the parking lot when they come to work," says Trout.
He cites a New York research firm's study of 1,847 products and services in 75 categories. The finding: a mere 21 percent of the products had features that made them distinct in a way that was relevant to customers.
Another study of 48 leading brands found that 40 of them were becoming more alike.
General Motors' Buicks, Pontiacs and Chevrolets, for example, are presented as being more alike than different.
How can the company expect consumers to choose the car they need without clearly distinguishing among the autos?
Too much technology impedes progress as well. An Australian study found that people can process only four inputs or variables at once. Meaning that if consumers are overloaded with information, they cannot remember everything.
Another common mistake by advertisers is that they tend to be led astray by confusing research that produces false assumptions.
Marketers confuse higher product or brand awareness with increased sales, but the two factors are not connected.
People are aware of, say, GM cars, but they don't necessarily buy them.
In Trout's view, an ideal sales message should be able to change "belief systems" and attitudes of consumers.
For example, Tylenol changed the public's concept of its competitiveness by showing aspirin's deficiencies. Stolichnaya vodka became famous for being made in Russia, not in the United States.
As Trout concludes, to put branding in simple words, it is all about establishing a brand and a differentiating idea in the mind of prospective buyers.
While such advertisements can be entertaining, they don't necessarily help sell products, veteran marketer Jack Trout reiterates in his book "In Search of the Obvious."
By comparison, obvious marketing ideas and concepts are often better, he says.
I couldn't agree more.
Several days ago, I caught a glimpse of a new TV advertisement by China Unicom, a mobile phone operator.
It began with some boys rolling iron hoops, once a common childhood game. They gasped in amazement at the rise of a Ferris wheel from the horizon. There followed several scenes in which different groups of people were awe struck at the sight of different new technologies.
Were it not for the company logo that appeared at the end of the advertisement, I would have mistaken it for a short promotion video for a big event.
Similar cases abound.
In fact, I do appreciate the creativity of such advertisements. But I often have difficulty in figuring out what they are actually promoting.
No wonder Trout says, "Sometimes I wonder if the advertising industry has lost touch with the meaning of advertising."
As in the case I cited, some advertisers mistakenly regard themselves as film directors and have produced advertisements as they would shoot movies.
Trout notes, however, that the objective of advertisements is to sell, not to entertain. He is of the opinion that a simple, obvious approach is the best way to sell a product.
This is not a new concept. Robert R. Updegraff first presented it in 1916 in a short book called "Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman."
According to Updegraff, good ideas should be simple, understandable, easy to explain, instinctive and timely.
In other words, the idea should be readily understandable by everyone you meet in daily life.
This does not mean that the idea's "simple reality" should be foolishly simplistic, though. Instead, the idea is most successful if people's first reaction after learning it is, "Why didn't we think of that?"
What sets Trout's book apart is that it develops the concept into more detailed, practical strategies that marketers can easily follow.
In many cases, the obvious solution is a matter of common sense that does not require much special technical knowledge.
Marketers just need to show and tell people what distinguishes their products.
"Unfortunately, business executives often leave their common sense out in the parking lot when they come to work," says Trout.
He cites a New York research firm's study of 1,847 products and services in 75 categories. The finding: a mere 21 percent of the products had features that made them distinct in a way that was relevant to customers.
Another study of 48 leading brands found that 40 of them were becoming more alike.
General Motors' Buicks, Pontiacs and Chevrolets, for example, are presented as being more alike than different.
How can the company expect consumers to choose the car they need without clearly distinguishing among the autos?
Too much technology impedes progress as well. An Australian study found that people can process only four inputs or variables at once. Meaning that if consumers are overloaded with information, they cannot remember everything.
Another common mistake by advertisers is that they tend to be led astray by confusing research that produces false assumptions.
Marketers confuse higher product or brand awareness with increased sales, but the two factors are not connected.
People are aware of, say, GM cars, but they don't necessarily buy them.
In Trout's view, an ideal sales message should be able to change "belief systems" and attitudes of consumers.
For example, Tylenol changed the public's concept of its competitiveness by showing aspirin's deficiencies. Stolichnaya vodka became famous for being made in Russia, not in the United States.
As Trout concludes, to put branding in simple words, it is all about establishing a brand and a differentiating idea in the mind of prospective buyers.
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