For me, without cutting too many hairs, the fundamental basics rule!
satisfying wants and needs! and not free! You pay me, how i get your attention to buy, I create my strategy and execute my promotion and advertising campaign, to attract your attention, and communicate my sales benefits to satisfy your wants and needs, I cannot sell you anything, until you approach my point of sale, but what my intention is, with the promotion and advertising, is very easy to understand, I want you to buy my product rather than my competitors.
The only way this is going to happen, is if i can convince you to buy, with my advertising, closing the sales procedure is also an art, whereby many sales people don't know when to shut up, they are in the wrong job, they should be in sales promotion, rather than sales. so as easy as the words sound, promotion, advertising and sales.
It's a little more complexes to understand the rationality behind, the sell, but basically, if there is no convincing message in the advertisement, to purchase, why purchase! It is not an arts & graphics exhibition to entertain the public, far from it.
When the response of an advertising campaign is measured, to attract potential buyers, by informing them of the correct message, " I can satisfy your wants & needs" because my benefits are better, than anyone else, the response tells me, these people now want to buy.
I could possibly lose customers, if the sales person, doesn't close the sale ASAP. because he is a better promoter, than a salesman.
No matter how individual marketeers, and advertisers perceive themselves, the sole responsibility, lies with the guy, running the whole project. it is very obvious to say, if the promotion, or advertisements didn't send the correct message to buy, then they have failed,
because the consumer needs to travel, to the point of sale, to hand the cash over! I hope marketeers and advertisers, can see the simplicity in the buying process. It is not an arts festival to express ego's!
So if your business is slow, you may need to look in the mirror, then bang your head against it!
Business is about selling and as quickly as possible for positive sales, so as long as the overall business is profitable you stay afloat, you are turning profit and not a loss, and on occasion I have sold by advertisement products at a deliberate loss, to attract the buyer to complete a sale....
Example, How a about I advertise an Intel processor free of charge! If you purchase the other components from me too! Many will scratch their head and think what's the catch, they are sold on the idea, but what's the catch, there is no catch, you get a full guarantee too. I know that advertisement will actually sell, it is used on occasions and the response rates have been overwhelming, because no one ever gives away " Intel Processors"
Graphic advertising is a very creative art from my point of view, in which some people may drift away into another world of creativity, which many excel at, but they fail to see it from the consumers point of view, they are not grounded, and that is the case in many failed advertising campaigns, which are normally out sourced by MBA's in marketing and sales, why do they fail?
Because the super duper MBA holder, is an academic, maybe with no creative experience, only good educational results, they rely on the outsourced advertising to provide the expertise that they lack and often fail, to evaluate a good advertisement, because of a lack of creative thinking, a good all rounder may not have the high grades in education, but may make up for it with good old common sense through practical experiences, The ability of being average in all subjects, is not an hindrance if they have natural talent, in many subjects.
These multi skilled qualities that are needed to be successful, are a combination of creative experience, academic skill, and common sense, built on practical experiences, and initiative training, one doesn't need to have a distinction, in academia, to survive, if one has common sense.
No common sense may mean, the distinction in academia, will only be useful, for wiping your bottom with, in a survival situation, like putting food on the table, so only an open mind, will help, it's not about who is right or who is wrong, it's about what works best, at the right time!
My advert maybe just to convey a message of not buy it, But to reject it, to cause shock, or attraction, but again, with the motive of making a sale, at some point in time. It is still connected to the sale and my strategy is to use the adverisement to move in for closure, when i am ready, the advertisements may lead up to a climax in the sales promotion plan. So I'm afraid there is no escape for the advertiser, you are a tool to be used for selling, how it's done is a matter of discussion.
Ideally one would have a distinction in all subjects and common sense, but that is rarely the case, is it? Hence the importance in team work and sparring.
I'm the end product of Philip Kotler, he sold himself well!
