Chapter 2. Objectives
Things to know before embarking
First, we need to consider some considerations...then we’ll get to the objectives.
What is advertising?
Without looking in the dictionary, let’s cook up a definition. Here goes:
“There’s this entity – the promoter. He, she, or it wants to communicate a message in order to achieve something. The word advertising covers this whole matter.”
Put everything through the wringer
You may have read on page 10, “History of past campaigns,” that when you’re pursuing sellable facts, you should disregard the small points. Forget that stupidity. Instead, leave no stone unturned. Consider the product from every angle. For example, fill in these blanks:
This product is a . Its purpose is to . The person who needs it is a . The product helps him by . It ends an ordeal with . The prospects should care because .
When you’re marketing a product, every part of it is “the potential Eureka,” because something you didn’t assess might jump out at you.
“Um...about those strict orders you gave me?”
You won’t lead your company to the goals by following every smart person’s advice. You’ll probably find their directives don’t match. Follow them all and you’ll only run around in circles, water down your ad, bark up the wrong tree, or some other metaphor. Rather, let their advices (new word) enhance and modify your judgment.
Scatter
If you try to take in the whole project in one sitting, it will be too overwhelming and you’ll avoid the assignment. So, take it a piece at a time. When you come up with a solution in one sub-area, it will help you in some of the others.
Getting to the objectives
What are the goals for this ad, anyway? Here are some questions that can help you find the answers.
Questions about you...
Why are? you advertising?
What? kind of results do you want?
Questions about the ad...
What is? this ad trying to do?
What? are the priorities for it?
What is? it trying to say?
What? kind of tree would it be?
Questions about the audience
What? are we asking the audience to believe?
How do? you want the audience to be changed after seeing the ad?
What is? the audience supposed to come away with?
Making notable progress over time
When asked to predict how well your campaign will perform, say this: “I know our organization wants a complete turnaround in a matter of weeks, but this is like an exercise program. We’re going to make notable progress over time. That’s a more realistic goal.”
Don’t have too many goals for an ad
You’ve already been given many objectives for one little ad. Like these:
“Get? lots of responses”
“Say? our product the most convenient”
? “Improve our company image”
? “Introduce a new feature”
? “Respond to a competitor’s bogus claim”
Coworker Cram Jammitz says, “You need to add another objective, and this is critical. We need to emphasize that ours is the most durable. Don’t you think it’s necessary to say this?”
That’s a trick question. The answer is: It’s time to reexamine what this ad is supposed to do, because it’s too full of objectives already. Some points need to go into other places, like the direct mail piece.
Reference: “Staking out territory,” on page 84.
Satisfying the criteria
You come up with a superexcellent concept, and you fall in love with it immediately. For example, you write this headline: “Are your records stored in Uranus?” Then you realize it has a fatal shortcoming.
The mistake is to go forward with the flawed ad and hope nobody will notice or care. Most often, the defection will grow, and it will damage the campaign. The idea wasn’t worth all those troubles. Change “Uranus” to “Mars” now – before it becomes something you don't want.
Face it: You’re selling!
One way or another, you have to sell to people. Enjoy it.
Don’t believe a successful copywriter who says, “I don’t know, I don’t try to sell anything. I lie in my garden and make little sketches of the gooseberries, and the words flow out.”
Correction: He is selling, because he is successful. It’s just that he knows how to slice the “Aw shucks” baloney and make it his self-package.
Watch politicians most “sincere” politicians and you’ll see the same mechanics in motion. The winners sell almost all the time. The top-top winners act as if they aren’t selling...when of course they are.
You don’t just create ads, you create responses
Here’s some cold water in the face: If you produce ads, you’re an expense.
And expenses get cut. If you produce results, you’re a revenue source. And you don’t get cut. Hopefully.