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Penton Media, Inc. Oct 2002Recently, I heard a director of marketing tell his director of sales to develop an ad for their property's new happy hour promotion. When she asked if she should call the advertising agency, he said, "No, it's too expensive." Immediately, I thought of some advertising fundamentals that have served me well over the years:
Use the pros. The most expensive advertising is advertising developed by amateurs.
Don't forget benefits. Many marketing pros talk about features in ads, brochures and direct mail but don't point out benefits, or what the product will do for the customer.
Give your advertising time to work. Many sales people who know one sales call isn't enough to sell your product will run one ad and leave it at that. Both sales calls and ads have cumulative effects.
Plan ahead. Many rush their advertising by not allowing enough time to plan and execute their programs. Using the "next week is Easter, so we must have an ad in the paper by two o'clock this afternoon" method discourages successful advertising.
Don't fall victim to client fatigue. Don't develop a new ad because you are tired of seeing the present ad. Use it as long as it works, and remember that the reader won't tire of it nearly as fast as you will.
Don't turn your advertising on and off like a faucet. Keep advertising on a consistent basis rather than just at times when you have an urgent need for the business.
Limit the media outlets to the number that can be used with frequency. It is far better to do this than to start with a big splash and have to quit too soon because the money runs out.
Keep the message simple. Don't try to sell too many things at one time or complicate your message with technical explanations of simple concepts.
Introducing a new program. Start at high levels to get impact before cutting back. Start with these nine fundamentals and you'll be on the road to more effective advertising.
Tom McCarthy, CHME, CHA, spent half his career with Hilton and Marriott in sales, advertising and public relations and half in his own training and consulting business, Hotel Professional Education and Consulting of Falls Church, VA. He is a past president of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and is a member of the HSMAI Hall of Fame.
ttmccarthy@hotels.org
703-379-4488
| [Photograph] |
| McCarthy: It's more effective to use ad professionals than to do it yourself. |
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