An advertisement, be it an insertion in a trade magazine, a radio slot or a roadside hoarding, has to stand out from the noise that surrounds it. By it's very nature, an advertisement usually isn't what your customer is looking for, so we have to grab their attention and hold it. We've all seen the rogues' gallery of results. Catchy but meaningless gimmicks, tasteless or irrelevant images, pages so crammed full of information that it's impossible to make sense of them.
We work on the belief that it's better to be clear than clever. There's nothing wrong with being creative, but anything that obscures the real offering is getting in the way and costing you money. When we put together an advertisement campaign we take account of all of the influencing factors, such as the interests of the key audience, the outcome they can expect from becoming your audience and so on.
One of the most commonly overlooked elements of a good campaign is what makes people read, watch or listen to that particular medium – think of the radio ads on Classic FM; how many of them are designed to appeal to people who enjoy light classical music?
It's important to remember that advertisements rarely work well in isolation; they have to be part of a complete strategy that creates interest and carries it through to sales. Your advertisements should be the tip of a well crafted iceberg, not the whole marketing structure. As a simple rule of thumb, if you can't afford to do the advertising and the marketing, do the marketing first and when you are ready to take the step, talk to someone who understands the return you need on your investment.
Recruiting Alfa salesmen
Where does it say that political correctness can't sit alongside a sense of humour? When BTC were asked by Alfa Romeo to solve their recruitment problems they turned to us for a creative approach. Our Alfa Males Wanted campaign raised eyebrows, but it did the job.
Alfa can't compete for earning power against volume brands like Ford and Volkswagen. As a result there's a problem that the best salesmen always go to the high volume brands. But Alfa Romeo is an enthusiast brand; owners are passionate about their cars, and there's no doubt that they're the best sales advocate you could wish for.
Our approach was to advertise in run-of-paper in the main car magazines. Our target was people not currently in the motor trade, but who saw the fulfilment and reward of working for a marque they love.
And the political correctness? Contact us and we'll show you how we stayed legal, decent, honest, truthful and -yes - anti-sexist, even with a headline like that!