I mentioned in my blog last week that companies in many industries all sound the same. They often mimic each other’s media placements and platforms. It becomes difficult to tell one business from the next. Studying your competitors is always advisable. However, it can be hard not to copy them. Here is some advice on what to do when everyone advertises the same. In almost every competitive business category, “sameness” becomes an epidemic. Admittedly, breaking the mold is not easy. But if clients cannot see the difference, why should they choose you? More importantly, why should they remember you? Fortunately, [...]

Every advertising dollar matters. Your company worked hard to earn that money and when it comes to advertising, you want to invest it smartly. Many advertising campaigns fail not because they spend too little, but because they spend in the wrong places. We have more advertising channels today than ever. To win at advertising, you must know how to allocate your marketing budget. Think of advertising like investing. You want to put each dollar where it creates the most business value. You do not have unlimited funds, so you cannot always spend more. The goal of an Advertising Agency is [...]

As a young newlywed I clearly remember the Set It and Forget It commercials for the rotisserie oven. My wife and I were not experienced cooks and always on the go. We bought one. And as we learned, you still needed to pay attention when you cooked. The same is true of advertising. No matter how meticulous your advertising plan is, continuous media optimization is required. A good media plan is thoughtfully planned and executed. And no matter how successful it is, eventually performance declines. Algorithms change, new media platforms emerge, the economy swings, and human behaviors shift. Any one [...]

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” That statement by John Wanamker is probably the most famous quote in advertising. It summarizes the concerns of many experienced marketers. And it gives pause to potential marketers. The reason we spend so much time attribution and ROI is to understand that “other half”. Understanding how a conversion or sale takes place not only aides in optimizing a media plan it also clarifies Return on Investment (ROI) for each medium in the plan. How we determine ROI is based on the attribution method [...]

Several years ago, I decided to improve my health. I set clear goals for weight and fitness. Then, I began tracking meals, workouts, and progress each week. However, the plan did not stay fixed. As I reviewed results, I made adjustments. I changed my diet when progress slowed. I modified workouts when performance stalled. Over time, those changes produced better results. Advertising works the same way. Successful marketers know you use Advertising optimization for the win. Like improving your health you begin optimization with clear goals and a structured plan. Then, you track performance across campaigns. However, the real gains [...]