Re: Why online advertising sucks

From: John Gaskill <gm_at_info-central-usa.com>
Date: Mon 09 Apr 2001 12:26:30 -0600

JOHN GASKILL <gm_at_info-central-usa.com> WROTE:

> Are brochures advertising? POP sales literature?
> Flyers? Matchbooks? Free samples?

TO WHICH GERI KONSTANTIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> REPLIED:

>You have really gotten down to a slightly difficult
>semantics argument. Brochures are collateral materials -
>promotional materials, not exactly advertising. I am not
>familiar with the term "Point of Purchase sales
>literature" Shelf talkers are signage - is signage
>advertising? In the general sense, advertising means
>ads, radio, TV. If you classify everything as advertising,
>you really dilute the meaning of advertising. E.G. You
>could wear a name tag. Is that advertising? It should
>not be put in that category.

If I accept your statement, the only definition of
advertising will be one supplied by you -- and it appears
to me that that will only lead to greater confusion.

Advertising seeks to spread the word about products
and services, interest people in their attributes and
get people to try them. After an initial purchase
and successful customer experience, advertising
tends to reinforce brand loyalty if the consumer
experience remains at a high level.

Advertising is not just radio, TV, outdoor and print.

Advertising includes: direct mail, matchbooks,
brochures, broadsides, free samples, billboards,
15, 30, and 60 second broadcast commercials,
infomercials, and all of the other communicating
tools available to marketers.

JOHN GASKILL <gm_at_info-central-usa.com> THEN WROTE:

> It seems to me that the definition of advertising online
> should be the same the definition as advertising offline.

TO WHICH GERI KONSTANTIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> REPLIED:

>Again, can the definition of online advertising, not to
>be confused with advertising online, be the same as
>advertising offline? I say no. Online ads are a media -
>like radio, TV, print ads. Advertising should encompass
>online ads, but not advertising online - which could
>include product websites. That should be put in the
>promotional category.

Advertising is advertising.

The internet as an online medium is merely a different
channel of communication than say radio or television.

How you use it does not define advertising.

Banners may be advertising, pop-ups could be
advertising, e-mail could be advertising. All could
carry noncommercial messages as well.

JOHN GASKILL <gm_at_info-central-usa.com> REFERRED TO:
> http://www.thechileman.com
> &
> http://www.ratzapper.com

TO WHICH GERI KONSTANIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> COMMENTED:

>Hmmm... They don't do anything for me. I don't have any
>rats so I have nothing to test their traps on, and I don't
>like chiles much, so why would I want to try them?
>There's much more involved in "selling" & "convincing"
>as you have to hit your target audience. Just having a
>website does not mean you reach your target audience.

The directive nature of the internet, it's "lean-forward
characteristic," means that people hunt down information
they want. Ergo, search engines, etc. Search "rat control"
and you'll find ratzapper.com.

Your comment only reinforces an advertising axiom:

Advertising does not reach or effect a person who is
not interested in your message. Advertising does not
convince a person who is not thinking about your
product or service. It may annoy, irritate or aggravate
them, but that is another discussion altogether.

JOHN GASKILL WROTE:

> The showcards a department store uses in-store are
> advertising tools no different than those Coca-Cola
> billboards sprinkled by the highway. Like Coke, store
> operators know that customers are more likely to
> make an in-store detour than make a return trip.

TO WHICH GERI KONSTANTIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> REPLIED:

>A showcard is an advertising tool, a billboard is an
>advertising medium. And they are VERY different. Point
>of Purchase is not the same as an advertising medium.
>They have different purposes.

A billboard is an advertising tool according to your
definition. The medium is Outdoor Advertising.

Showcards are not Point of Purchase, the point of
purchase is the cash register or checkout station.

JOHN GASKILL <gm_at_info-central-usa.com> ASKED:
> Are the broadsides hung in a window facing the
> street not also advertising?

TO WHICH GERI KONSTANTIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> ANSWERED:
>Good question. If they merely say "open" is that an ad?
>I think not. If it says "sale" it is not. If it says
>25% off list on every necklace in-stock today only,
>it technically is.

If your store has been closed for renovation for
three months, broadsides that say "OPEN"
are definitely advertising.

If you only have a sale once a year and your
customers know it, broadsides stating SALE
are definitely advertising.

>The definition of advertising is critical for measuring
>results and making targeted media buys. Changing
>definitions, like has been seen in the recent
>"branding" discussion can radically change the entire
>industry. When definitions become too broad they lose
>their meaning and thus their importance.

One measures the results of advertising in general
by seeing if the stated goals of the campaign were
achieved, missed, bettered. Campaigns come in
very short, short, medium and long range varieties.
Some advertising tools and mediums work better
than others. All must be mercilessly compared to
themselves and their brethren to see if they worked
and how well they worked. Do those which work,
drop those which don't.

Regards all,

John

John Gaskill
gm_at_info-central-usa.com
Looking for an ad medium that's powerful, targetable,
flexible and affordable? Discover Info-Central.(sm)
http://info-central-usa.com



Received on Mon Apr 09 2001 - 13:26:30 CDT