August 2014

Time4Reflection

When did advertising become a naughty word?

Most of us skip ads on TV, complain about them in the newspaper, fuss about them on billboards while driving down the highway, change channels when they come on the radio, and get irritated when they pop up on a favorite web site. That isn't even to mention the ones that are displayed in magazines, pulled behind airplanes at football games (starting this weekend), shown on the stalls at the neighborhood restaurant bathrooms, and we're just getting started.

People hate ads.

That's why it's so fun to be in advertising. It's a competition. A game.

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GAME ON!

How2Play the Game

Can we get your attention and interrupt you? Or will you stay on track and avoid our message?

People actually appreciate the good advertisements. Really. A well placed billboard for a restaurant at an exit when you are hungry is just right. An ad for that perfect pair of shoes on the web site you visited a few weeks back may be just the ticket. A radio spot that uses the "theatre of the mind" or the early February TV commercials that keep getting interrupted by that silly football game are both examples of the appreciation the American public has for advertising.

I've been told I'm weird before so you won't hurt my feelings, but I love advertising. There I said it. I love when a message is clear, clean, and makes me think. I love when someone tells a story or catches me off guard. I am thankful when I am on the highway running too low on gas and the sign up ahead tells me how much it costs.

Admit it - when it's good, you like advertising too. When it's good that is.

So embrace advertising - don't call everything marketing or communications. Advertise. It's good for business - when it is done right, well, and smartly.