What does it take for an advertisement to really catch your eye?
Most likely, irrelevant and uninteresting ads aren’t going to grab the readers’ attention. According to Philip W. Sawyer, the three key elements of a successful advertisement include its:
- Stopping power
- Branding ability
- Level of engagement
- Relevancy to reader
In a test to determine what ads were successful in terms of engaging readers, Sawyer pulled 50 samples, both good and bad, from several different publications. In his search, Sawyer recognized a consistent pattern – most of the advertisements were not relevant to the audience, and therefore not effective.
Sawyer’s article brings up an interesting point: Many people in the advertising industry are very creative, and therefore develop some unique ideas for ads. At the same time, they may be forgetting that the real key to a successful advertisement to engage the reader to react – to buy the product or sign up for the service, whatever it may be.
Customizing content to suit the readers’ needs will essentially drive customer response and increase brand loyalty. Now more than ever, print and online publications need to take advantage of opportunities to help increase ROI to get revenue at a viable level. Because print is a preferred method for targeted messaging, advertisers need to make sure that their content is effective.
Precision Marketing and targeted advertising can change this consistent pattern of irrelevant advertising that we’re seeing in publications. By providing customers with the recommendations they’re looking for, they will in turn build customer loyalty to their brand and company.
How can you ensure that your business is appropriately targeting consumers? What kinds of advertisements are you delivering to your readers? It may be time to take a second look at your messaging!
Category: From the Desk of...
