Advertising Evaluation

If your ad lists obvious and expected things people would naturally expect from your type of company, then you are not giving them any reason to choose you over anyone else in your industry.

Examples:

• Plumber who says, “We service all your plumbing needs”... Well I Would Hope So.
  
• Retailer who says, “We accept all major credit cards” …Well I Would Hope So.

If your ad tries to differentiate by listing a bunch of platitudes, then you are saying the exact same things as every other company who does what you do.

Example:

• Lasik clinic who says, “We have low prices, experienced surgeons, great technology, and easy financing options.” … Every lasik ad you've ever seen says these same things. Again, there is no compelling reason to choose this lasik clinic over another one. You must quantify your claims to give them credibility.

When your ad makes claims about why the marketplace should choose you, if you don't provide some type of evidence, then you will fail one or both of the evaluations above. If you say largest selection, then quantify it. If you say most experienced, then show a comparison.

Examples :

• Furniture store who says, “We've got the largest selection in town.” Change that to “Most furniture stores carry between 50 to 100 types of sofas, but at XYZ furniture store we offer over 200 unique and beautiful sofas to choose from.” See the difference…? You've proven your claim.
  
• Medical clinic who says, “We've got the most experienced surgeons in the area.” Change that to “The average surgeon in the northwest has performed around 200 surgeries, but at ABC Medical Clinic our surgeon's average over 500 successful surgeries, and without complications.” This type of education will pull a lot more patients than the previous ad

Take your ad and a few of your competitor's ads. These could be yellow pages, direct mail, brochures, website pages, or whatever. Lay them side by side. If you can simply cross out your company's name, write in a competitor's name and the ad is still valid, then your ad is saying the same things as everyone else. You have not given the marketplace any reason to choose you over them. If you can create marketing and advertising that successfully separates your company from the marketplace, then you can literally generate more business than you can handle. That's the power of great marketing.

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