No, I am not talking about marketing hardware, but rather the basics of product and service sales promotion. Too much emphasis is being placed on creativity and on-line media placement while not presenting a compelling message. Effective advertising must appeal to the emotions, wants and needs and even fears of the primary target market. Call it Old School marketing, but human nature has not changed.

The headline and graphics must grab attention by attracting the potential buyer. Then the copy combined with graphics, needs to present the features and benefits in user-friendly descriptive text. We speak to the basic level of your audience without insulting the most sophisticated. I have seen advertisements that rambled on with flowery copy, that was supposed to impress, but did not sell the product.

Here is where the “nuts and bolts” comes in. Ads, collateral and sales promotion materials. Whether appearing in print, broadcast or on-line, you have only a few seconds to capture the attention of the buyer, present an impressive message and motivate the prospect to take action, which is to order, buy or call.

Effective advertising works in harmony under the umbrella of a coordinated marketing strategy, utilizing a repetitive theme, graphics and sales message. Repetitive multi-media exposure builds brand identity and maximizes sales, while sporadic, disjointed attempts not only waste ad dollars, but can damage the image of the marketer. Graphic Designers just produce artwork…. in-house ad departments are stymied and lack outside objectivity.

So, where does a marketer go to assemble a Nuts and Bolts Marketing Campaign? A Marketing Professional, with extensive experience is a good choice. It starts with a Marketing Analysis  where factors and opportunities are identified and follow by recommendations and options to build a comprehensive marketing campaign. For more information contact: Tom Smisek Marketing Consultants Orange County CA.