by Gary Dahl
Contents at a Glance
Introduction
Part I: Advertising 101
Advertising: Mastering the Art of Promotion
Setting and Working within Your Advertising Budget
Boosting Your Budget with Co-Op Programs
Defining and Positioning Your Message
Forming an Effective Ad Campaign
Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium
Online Advertising: Maximizing the Enormous Reach of the Internet
Using Print Ads: Small Spaces with Big Audiences
Radio: Effective, Affordable, and Fun
CDemystifying TV Commercials: They Don’t Have
to Win Awards to Be Effective
Collateral Advertising and Direct Mail:
Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, and More
Opting for Outdoor Ads: Billboards, Posters,
Ads on Buses, and Other Signage
Part III: Buying the Different Media
Investing in Internet Advertising
Buying Ad Space in Print Media
Purchasing Ad Time on the Radio
Getting Your Ads on Television
Deciding Whether to Hire an Ad Agency
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz
and Using Publicity
Creating Buzz and Word-of-Mouth Advertising
Leveraging Your Advertising with Public Relations,
Publicity, Specialty Items, and Events
Part V: The Part of Tens
Ten Secrets for Writing Memorable Advertising
(Almost) Ten Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire an Agency
Glossary
Index
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Book Details
Price
|
3.00 USD |
|---|---|
Pages
| 338 p |
File Size
|
6,563 KB |
File Type
|
PDF format |
ISBN-13 ISBN-10
| 978-0-470-04583-1 0-470-04583-3 |
Copyright
| 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc |
Gary Dahl is an award-winning copywriter, creative director, and advertising
agency owner. His career spans 40 years, during which he has handled all
facets of advertising for hundreds of clients. His agency, Gary Dahl Creative
Services, in Campbell, California, specializes in electronic advertising. Dahl’s
ability to creatively capture the essence of a client’s business in 30 or 60
seconds of clear, concise broadcast copy is a result of having written and
produced hundreds of television commercials and thousands of radio commercials
for a wide variety of businesses, including financial, automotive,
wireless, education, retail, high-tech, and dot-coms.
Gary Dahl has a unique understanding of what it takes to successfully convey
a client’s message to potential customers. As the creator of the retail phenomenon,
the Pet Rock –– which still ranks as the fastest selling and most
publicized novelty gift product in retail history –– Dahl has proven the extraordinary
power of a creative idea combined with an effective, well-planned
marketing strategy. He has been featured in Time, Newsweek, People, Playboy,
and other major magazines; has appeared on numerous network TV shows;
and has been interviewed by countless radio networks worldwide, including
NPR, the BBC, and the Australian Broadcasting Company.
An accomplished public speaker, Dahl has made advertising/marketing presentations
to numerous university advertising and marketing communications
classes, advertising and civic organizations, and business and professional
clubs throughout the country. He and his wife, Marguerite, live in the hills
above Los Gatos, California.
Ruth Mills is an editor and writer with more than 20 years of experience in
book publishing. She has edited and published books on a wide range of
topics, including business, finance, biography, general-interest non-fiction,
and fiction. She has worked with authors who were CEOs of major corporations
(including Continental Airlines and Sears) and journalists from such
major publications as BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, and The Wall Street
Journal. She also developed several series of books with Entrepreneur,
Adweek, and Black Enterprise magazines. Finally, she has ghost-written seven
books on business topics, including advertising, real estate investing, personal
finance, and the success story of a well-known business entrepreneur.
Introduction
Advertising, despite whatever impressions you have or information
you’ve heard, isn’t complicated — or rather, it’s only as complicated as
you want it to be. Sure, a lot is involved with advertising. Print, broadcast,
outdoor, direct mail, collateral materials, Internet — each media has its own
positives and negatives, its own mysterious production language, and its own
unique rates. How does a novice decipher this stuff? How do you know what
to buy and what to ignore?
Yes, advertising can seem complicated, even intimidating, but the good news
is that it ain’t rocket science. You just need a few tricks of the trade that help
you design, write, and implement a creative, hard-hitting, memorable ad campaign
for your business. The purpose of this book is to show you those tricks.
Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................1
About This Book...............................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
What You’re Not to Read.................................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................3
Part I: Advertising 101............................................................................3
Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium ....................................3
Part III: Buying the Different Media......................................................4
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz and Using Publicity .......4
Part V: The Part of Tens.........................................................................4
Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................5
Where to Go from Here....................................................................................5
Part I: Advertising 101
Chapter 1: Advertising: Mastering the Art of Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Making Advertising Work..............................................................................10
Getting to Know Your Media Options..........................................................11
Regarding radio ....................................................................................11
Rating TV ...............................................................................................12
Contemplating print.............................................................................12
Musing upon direct mail......................................................................13
Scrutinizing outdoor advertising .......................................................14
Ogling online ads ..................................................................................14
Poring over publicity ...........................................................................14
Lessons from the Legends: Figuring Out Your Advertising Needs ..........15
David Ogilvy..........................................................................................16
Bill Bernbach.........................................................................................17
Wieden and Kennedy ...........................................................................18
Chapter 2: Setting and Working within Your Advertising Budget . . .19
Determining How Much You Can Afford to Spend .....................................20
Developing an Advertising Strategy and a Tactical Plan ..........................22
Researching and evaluating your competition.................................22
Identifying your target market............................................................23
Knowing your product’s appeal .........................................................24
Maximizing Your Budget ...............................................................................24
Getting the most out of your creative and production ...................25
Using media you can afford.................................................................26
Chapter 3: Boosting Your Budget with Co-Op Programs . . . . . . . . . . .33
Knowing Who Uses Co-Op Funds.................................................................33
Finding Out Which of Your Suppliers Have Co-Op Funds Available ........35
Knowing who to talk to........................................................................36
You’ve found your funds, now how do you get the dough?............37
Understanding the Rules, Regulations, and Restrictions .........................37
Getting your ads preapproved............................................................38
Obtaining proof of performance.........................................................39
Submitting your co-op claims package..............................................40
Chapter 4: Defining and Positioning Your Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Understanding Why People Choose One Product
or Service over Another ............................................................................42
Image is everything ..............................................................................42
You’ve got personality! ........................................................................42
Convenience: More than location ......................................................43
Don’t sacrifice service! ........................................................................44
Let ’em know your uniqueness...........................................................45
The price is right ..................................................................................45
Researching and Assessing Your Competition:
What Sets Your Product Apart? ................................................................46
Developing a Strategy for Your Advertising Campaign .............................48
Case Study: Advertising a Chain of Women’s
Plus-Size Clothing Stores ...........................................................................49
Identifying the USP: The unique selling proposition .......................50
Knowing the budget — and staying within its limits.......................50
Shooting the ads...................................................................................51
Selecting the right media.....................................................................51
Applying these ideas to your ad campaign.......................................52
Chapter 5: Forming an Effective Ad Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Identifying and Targeting Your Audience....................................................54
Focus on your primary market...........................................................55
Research your market..........................................................................55
Checking Out Your Competition’s Ads
so You Can Differentiate Yours .................................................................56
Focusing on Ads That You Respond to Most..............................................57
xii Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Concocting a Creative Hook to Get Your Audience’s Attention ...............59
Creative brainstorming........................................................................60
Creative example: Developing a campaign
for a community college ..................................................................62
Incorporating Your Creative Message into
an Overall Media Ad Campaign ...............................................................65
Ensuring consistency of your message
in all media you choose ...................................................................66
Keeping your message simple ............................................................66
Using words that sell............................................................................67
Delivering your message with clarity ................................................69
Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium
Chapter 6: Online Advertising: Maximizing
the Enormous Reach of the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Measuring the Pros and Cons of Online Advertising.................................74
Creating Your Own Web Site .........................................................................76
Deciding on your Web site goals ........................................................77
Choosing an effective domain name ..................................................78
Saving money (or your sanity): Your Web design ............................78
Designing a strong Web site ................................................................79
Promoting Your Site .............................................................................83
Setting Goals for Online Ads.........................................................................85
Ads that build awareness ....................................................................86
Ads that encourage click-through......................................................86
Ads that encourage sales ....................................................................87
Choosing Among Online Ad Formats...........................................................87
Creating banner ads .............................................................................88
Doing e-mail advertising......................................................................92
Chapter 7: Using Print Ads: Small Spaces with Big Audiences . . . . .95
Exploring the Advantages of Print ...............................................................95
Recognizing What Makes a Print Ad Successful ........................................96
Writing and Designing an Eye-Catching Print Ad .......................................99
Hammering out your headline............................................................99
Shaping your subheads .....................................................................101
Building your body copy ...................................................................101
Generating your graphics..................................................................102
Don’t forget the layout!......................................................................103
Chapter 8: Radio: Effective, Affordable, and Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Summarizing Your Business in 60 Seconds...............................................107
Who are you? ......................................................................................108
What are you selling?.........................................................................108
When do you want consumers to act? ............................................109
How can customers get in touch with you?....................................109
Why should customers hire or buy from you?...............................110
Deciding on the Format for Your Ad..........................................................112
Talking it up: Dialogue .......................................................................112
Amusing (and schmoozing) the masses: Comedy .........................113
Giving just the facts: A straight read ...............................................114
Determining Who Should Read the Script ................................................115
Doing it yourself .................................................................................115
Using a studio announcer..................................................................118
Hiring a professional voice talent ....................................................118
Setting It All in Motion: How to Get Your Ad on the Radio .....................120
Chapter 9: Demystifying TV Commercials: They Don’t Have
to Win Awards to Be Effective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Designing Your TV Commercial in Layers.................................................124
Audio....................................................................................................124
Video ....................................................................................................125
Computer graphics ............................................................................125
Bringing the Audio and Visual Together ...................................................126
Deciding What to Feature in Your Commercial ........................................129
Appearing in your own commercial.................................................129
Promoting with a professional..........................................................130
Highlighting your place of business.................................................130
Focusing the camera on your product or service..........................131
Figuring Out Where to Shoot ......................................................................131
On location..........................................................................................131
In the studio ........................................................................................134
Producing Your Commercial.......................................................................135
Using the TV station’s production department..............................135
Hiring an independent production house .......................................137
Editing Your Commercial ............................................................................137
Chapter 10: Collateral Advertising and Direct Mail:
Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
First Things First: Planning Your Collateral Campaign ...........................140
Watching Out for Collateral Budget Busters.............................................141
Adding a little (or a lot) of color.......................................................142
Printing cheap: No such thing?.........................................................142
Designing the Best Collateral Ads for Your Business ..............................145
Striving for a simple design and clear copy....................................146
Deciding what to include in your ad................................................147
Getting help with your design ..........................................................151
Handing Off the Dirty Work: Direct-Mail Houses......................................154
Asking the direct-mail provider some important questions.........154
Planning your postage .......................................................................157
Chapter 11: Opting for Outdoor Ads: Billboards, Posters,
Ads on Buses, and Other Signage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Recognizing the Advantages of Outdoor Advertising .............................160
Measuring the Effectiveness of Outdoor Ads...........................................162
Choosing Among Your Outdoor Advertising Options .............................163
Designing Memorable Outdoor Advertising.............................................166
Pursuing potential customers ..........................................................167
Making your ad readable...................................................................168
Keeping your ad clear........................................................................169
Making it worth remembering ..........................................................169
Looking at a Success Story: Chick-fil-A’s Billboard Campaign................170
Aiming for the target audience .........................................................171
Setting up the marketing strategy....................................................171
Capitalizing on the creative strategy ...............................................171
Reaping the results.............................................................................171
Part III: Buying the Different Media
Chapter 12: Investing in Internet Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Hiring Someone to Create Your Business Web Site .................................176
Choosing a Web designer worthy
of your hard-earned dollars...........................................................176
Contracting with and paying a Web designer .................................178
Finding an ISP to Run Your Site ..................................................................179
Ranking Your Site: Purchasing Key Words on Search Engines ...............181
Buying Banner Ads on Other Web Sites ....................................................181
Using ad networks..............................................................................181
Placing your online ads yourself ......................................................182
Online advertising via affiliate programs ........................................182
Finding out whether your banner is working .................................183
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of E-Mail Advertising..........................184
Chapter 13: Buying Ad Space in Print Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Choosing the Right Publication for Your Print Ad ...................................188
Calculating Your Print Ad’s Cost ................................................................189
Finding a Good Sales Rep............................................................................191
Cold-calling a publication: Don’t do it! ............................................191
Going straight to the top: Call the sales manager..........................192
Asking for referrals.............................................................................192
Becoming a Formidable Ad Buyer .............................................................193
Acting as though you’re reluctant....................................................193
Making your sales rep think she’s got competition .......................195
Complaining when the time is right.................................................196
Chapter 14: Purchasing Ad Time on the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Determining the Best Radio Station for Your Ads....................................200
Specifying which demographic you’re after ...................................201
Doing your homework .......................................................................202
Buying the station ..............................................................................204
Talking the Talk of Radio Advertising........................................................205
Cume ....................................................................................................206
Ranker..................................................................................................206
Dayparts ..............................................................................................207
Reading the Fine Print .................................................................................207
Hammering out the details................................................................207
Holding ’em to it .................................................................................209
Waiting Patiently for the Results................................................................210
Giving your audience time to respond ............................................210
Buying radio time: Too little, too much? .........................................211
Evaluating your radio ads from time to time..................................211
Taking Advantage of Seasonal Incentives to Reduce Your Costs...........212
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Buying the Programming, Not the Station ................................................216
Comparing TV Stations: Request Media Kits............................................217
Ready to Negotiate? Better Know Your TV Marketing Terms First!.......218
Understanding timing and sweeps...................................................219
Measuring ratings and market shares .............................................219
Working with a Sales Rep ............................................................................221
Talkin’ the talk: Negotiating successfully ........................................223
Is Cable Advertising Right for You? ...........................................................226
Working effectively with a cable sales rep......................................227
Hitting the bull’s-eye with cable ads ................................................229
Doing the math: Cable TV market penetration...............................229
Chapter 16: Deciding Whether to Hire an Ad Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Determining When You May Need to Hire an Agency .............................234
Finding the Right Agency for Your Business ............................................236
Getting to Know the People Handling Your Account...............................237
Compensating Your Agency........................................................................238
Media commissions ...........................................................................239
Creative and production charges.....................................................240
Markups...............................................................................................241
Retainers..............................................................................................241
Working with Your Agency to Get What You Need ..................................242
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz and Using Publicity
Chapter 17: Creating Buzz and Word-of-Mouth Advertising . . . . . . .247
Getting the Terminology Straight...............................................................247
Seeing the Power of Word of Mouth ..........................................................248
Examining word-of-mouth marketing success stories...................249
Beware of negative buzz! ...................................................................250
Tips and Techniques on Generating Buzz.................................................251
Coining a great new phrase...............................................................251
Hiring beautiful people to promote your product .........................251
Taking advantage of celebrity endorsements.................................252
Throwing a party ................................................................................253
Hitting the streets...............................................................................253
Figuring out where to find your big mouths ...................................254
Creating a blog about your business ...............................................254
Chapter 18: Leveraging Your Advertising with Public Relations,
Publicity, Specialty Items, and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Starting a Public Relations Campaign .......................................................258
Understanding How Publicity Can Bring Customers...............................259
Writing an effective press release ....................................................260
Getting the story to the right media ................................................263
Advertising on Specialty Items...................................................................266
Recognizing the advantages of specialty advertising....................267
Selecting specialty items with a purpose........................................269
Keep the copy simple on a specialty item ......................................271
Generating Traffic: Promotional Events ....................................................271
Radio: The promotions king..............................................................272
Other promotional opportunities ....................................................275
Participating in Sponsored Events.............................................................275
Determining whether you can staff the event ................................276
Calculating the costs: A valuable investment? ...............................277
Deciding which events are worthwhile ...........................................277
Finding sponsored events that work for your business................278
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Ten Secrets for Writing Memorable Advertising . . . . . .281
Ignoring the Rules of Grammar ..................................................................281
Making Your Ads Effective ..........................................................................282
Knowing Why People Buy Your Products .................................................282
Finding a Creative Hook ..............................................................................283
Remembering That Creativity Is Hard Work.............................................284
Letting Your Creative Hook Dictate Your Media Buy...............................284
Considering Your Budget ............................................................................285
Striving for Continuity .................................................................................285
Keeping It Simple..........................................................................................286
Being Clear in Your Message ......................................................................286
Chapter 20: (Almost) Ten Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire
an Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
Your Ad Budget Has Become Substantial .................................................287
You Need the Expertise of a Professional Media Buyer ..........................288
Your Creative Light Bulb Has Burned Out ................................................288
You’re Overwhelmed by the Demands of Production.............................289
You’re Having Trouble Keeping Up with the Bookkeeping .....................289
You’re Leaving Co-Op Funds on the Table ................................................289
Your Time Is Being Taken Up by Media Reps ...........................................290
You’re Running Faster to Stay in the Same Place.....................................290
You Want a Bunch of Free Stuff ..................................................................291
Glossary ...................................................................293
Index........................................................................297
Bookscreen
About This Book
You can read this book front to back, or you can simply refer to it as you
would any reference book, dipping into the chapters you need right away.
Whichever way you read it, you may discover some shortcuts, insights, techniques,
and money-saving facts that can get you the most bang for the buck
while taking some of the mystery out of this all-important element of your business.
Think of Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition, as a guidebook to map your
way through the back alleys, side streets, and secret pathways leading to
effective advertising. Advertising can be a very intimidating subject — it has
its own language; it comes in a huge array of media choices; it requires, when
done right, creativity, clarity, and solid production values to cut through its
own clutter; and it costs a lot of money. But advertising is also essential to
the success of your business. Use this travel guide to chart your course down
the hidden boulevards of advertising, and you may discover that, indeed, the
streets are paved with gold.
What You’re Not to Read
You don’t have to read any text preceded by a Technical Stuff icon in order to
understand the chapter subject (though I urge you to read it if you’re feeling
the need for some surplus advertising brainpower). Some information also
appears in gray boxes known as sidebars. These sidebars are asides and not
critical to the text, so you don’t have to read them — though you may miss
out on some interesting information or anecdote if you skip them entirely!