The other day, I was listening to a popular marketing podcast.  This was a post super bowl episode, and the topic was the commercials. Guests on the show included various brand managers and agency folk. They were talking about a common theme of their work which they all agreed was the big driver of their success.  

They waxed on in glorious terms about their achievements in large part due to this major insight. It was if they were the first to discover electricity or the Beatles or something…. I turned up the volume. 

The driver of their work, the holy grail, the golden nugget, the secret sauce…”it’s all about the customer.” 

That’s it. The customer. They managed to fill over 40 minutes of airtime talking about why it is essential to keep the customer first in all they do and how it affects the strategy and the work and the success of their work. 

Maybe these folks were raised by robots. The notion that the audience is central to their success seemed a revelation. Hello? These were all articulate people but to me they missed an opportunity to have a more nuanced and valuable discussion about their audience insight and not limit themselves to the cleverness of the work. 

Audience, Brand, Creative – the ABC’s of advertising. 

As one of the last truly large-scale communal cultural events, super bowls ads are no longer simply about advertising, they are part of the show, the cultural moment, let’s go all-in and call it a high point. But the real game is away from the ball. The real game of advertising is being won and lost in the trenches, day-in and day-out. It’s the integrated campaigns that have the legs to live in the media, where the customer lives every day that will be the real winners. The Super bowl happens once a year, the super segmented social super bowl (say that 10 times fast) happens 24/7, 365. There is no getting around it. Targeted media to your Audience, the Brand relevance, and the Creativity to make it stick. 

After reading the rankings from Forbes, NY Times, Boston Globe, iSpot TV, USA Today’s Ad Meter and others, it’s clear that if you are in need of support to justify your personal top 5- 10 spots you are bound to find it. Only a couple of the rankings mentioned consideration of the game away from the ball; the knock-on effect of the social impact of a strategically integrated idea, an idea with its hooks in culture. The more thoughtfully integrated ideas have potential for real shelf life, the rest are at risk of just being part of game day entertainment.

Perhaps being entertaining is enough, but to quote a famous film about football, Show me the money. 

According to Inside Higher Ed, The College of Saint Rose is not alone in the sinking ship of colleges floundering on the reefs of change.  

From Inside Higher Ed: Saint Rose’s closure was preceded by similar announcements from other institutions this year, including Magdalen College, Lincoln Christian University, Alderson Broaddus University, Alliance University, Cabrini University, Cardinal Stritch University, Finlandia University, Hodges University, Holy Names University, Iowa Wesleyan University, Medaille University, Presentation College and various for-profits. Though it has not announced a closure, the King’s College in New York City has ceased its academic offerings and was stripped of accreditation earlier this year. 

For the sake of brevity, I am not going to attempt to outline all the contributing socio-economic factors that are dramatically impacting higher ed these days. Running a college is like running a small country, no easy task. There are near countless factors that contribute to the sustenance of a college. The ultimate expression of success is the ability to attract more students than the college can handle in any given academic year; keeping demand high. But what keeps demand high in higher ed? Where did Saint Rose go wrong, where are all these colleges and many, many others going wrong? 

A few years ago, I was privileged to judge marketing and creativity awards in higher ed. These are recruitment campaigns designed to entice college bound students to choose for themselves the “perfect college.” With rare exception, most of these campaigns were undifferentiated. It would be quite easy to remove the names and logos and not be able to tell one from the other. All the same types of pictures of smiling students, shiny new buildings, earnest student – instructor interactions, clubs, events, sports, food porn. All of it the essential table stakes in editorializing the institution. 

At some point in the not-too-distant past, colleges began an arms race of infrastructure development. Money was readily available, and loans were easy to get. I can hear the marketplace research, “students and families are wanting a different experience, we need to make these improvements to keep them looking our way.” The rationalizations, no matter how justified and legitimate, failed to grasp the bigger picture, that this is a treadmill that is hard to get off, especially when it becomes what you are selling. And that is exactly what began happening. Colleges began selling shiny new buildings, dormitories as nice as any hotel, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, etc. For institutions without the marketplace momentum and financials to play this game, remaining in contention is going to be a herculean task.

9 years ago, we responded to an RFP from a college, which will remain nameless. During the process, the college held an open Q&A for all those responding to the RFP. There were approximately 30 people in the audience with another dozen or so seated at the front of the room giving the briefing. This is already not a good sign, too many opinions on the selection committee. During the briefing, what became apparent to anyone really listening was that one of the main criteria for a successful candidate was the ability to demonstrate that you could do exactly the type of work that was done before. 

When approaching Manhattan, from any direction one is inevitably struck by all the towers of the skyline. Gleaming beacons, with distinctive architectural styles. 

Colleges would do well to remember that when someone takes the decision to ride to the top of the Freedom Tower, ultimately the view matters more than the building. 

One thing I’ve noticed in this semi-post pandemic work world is that despite demands by many companies that people return to the office, many people continue to work with a remote mindset.

There seems to be an aversion to getting together in the same room and hashing it out, whatever it is. Physically, on days back in the office, people are not taking full advantage of the opportunity for being in the same place at the same time, working on the same stuff, solving problems together. And, most importantly, learning from each other.

The world is suffering a virtual hangover.

Poor habits from the home office abound. For example, chatting via text or slack, slacking off is what I’m calling it. If you’re a senior manager, you have the obligation to guide junior team members, who may lack the experience as well as others who should know better.  It’s your job. Get the ball rolling, help your teams appreciate the benefits of getting into the same room and hammering out a solution.

No more slack time.

If you’re running a brand, a marketing team, agency or even a production company, I can offer you this insight. There are members of these teams who are junior and have no idea what they are doing. They are wasting a great deal of time and probably costing you money. They need leadership, management, and mentors.

Tools like Slack are effective when used with intention and clear purpose. In fact they can save time and create efficiency, but they are terrible for training your team on the ins and outs of producing great work.

I’m happy to bill you for my time.

I’m hot but not uncomfortable, saved from the intensity of the sun by the occasional gusty breeze and the air that’s being conditioned by the crashing surf.

If you are lucky or early, it’s possible to put your blanket down just above the high tide line. Close enough to the surf to benefit from cool ocean spray, yet far enough not to be forced to retreat up the beach if you catch a rising tide.

The sun feels heavy on your eyelids as you push your sunglasses up into your hair and lie back into the blanket. Squirming a bit allows you to conform the sand into the perfect cradle.

Somewhere up wind, someone moves and sand, carried on the breeze peppers your skin. Involuntarily you close your eyes tight, squinting against the odds. Along with the sand in the breeze comes the sounds of a distant ballgame on a radio and other radios add to the low chorus with music. The sounds of chattering kids playing, whooping in the surf, the smell of coconut oil and the salt air effervescence fills your nostrils. A deep breath, an exhale, and you drift back into a semi-conscious state, enveloped within the surround sound of summer.

Awake but asleep, suspended, hanging in the luxury of a perfect beach day it feels like another world. Distant, then near, the sound of a single engine aircraft lumbering at low speed stirs you to awareness. As it approaches you don your sunglasses, lean up on your elbows and watch in fascination as it drags a banner through the air a few hundred feet above and just offshore. Flying for miles along the beach, the banner promoting a radio station or beach club, brand or event, is seen by countless thousands of people, just there, just for you, the community of beach goers. An anticipated and perhaps welcomed part of the day, the aircraft with its banner, gives a wink and a nod to the pleasure of hang time. A summer ritual along the shore, popping and waving as it flies.

Back in the pre internet days, our attentions were not as divided as they are today. Now those flying banners are competing with the banners of the internet. Media has always been vying for our attention, at all times, in almost all locations, oblivious to our surroundings, our moods, our desires. On days like this, I’ll take the flying banner.

Is it an age-old media stunt? Sure is, but I don’t mind the novel interruption. When I sit up and open my eyes, I not only see the promotion, I also appreciate the sea and the sand and the sky. As the plane sails off into the distance, I notice the little shore birds chasing through the foam and I feel blessed.

Context is key.

If you know USP then you’ll not be surprised that Chat GTP delivers USP as one of the key elements of a successful advertising campaign. If you do not know Rosser Reeves and USP, you poor impoverished soul, buy this book: Reality in Advertising

You can also gain a bit of contemporary context here in this article from WARC and Malcolm White. Thank you Malcom.

At one point in my career, I worked at (Ted) Bates Advertising in NYC. Bates was known as the USP agency. The Unique Selling Proposition, was conceived by Rosser Reeves, the one-time creative partner at Bates. Reeves was a visionary ad man and author of Reality in Advertising. In my opinion, it remains one of the best books to be read on the topic, and Reeves a genius.

His idea of the USP has stood the test of time. In fact, during a bit of play with Chat GTP, the prompt: what makes for a successful advertising campaign, delivered USP as part of the response.

Chat GTP response

A successful advertising campaign is typically characterized by several key factors:

1. Clear objectives: A well-defined set of goals and objectives is crucial for an advertising campaign. These objectives could include increasing brand awareness, driving sales, generating leads, or changing consumer perceptions. Clear objectives help guide the creative and strategic decision-making process.
2. Targeted audience: Understanding your target audience is essential for an effective campaign. Identifying their demographics, interests, behaviors, and preferences allows you to tailor your message to resonate with them. This targeted approach increases the chances of capturing their attention and motivating them to take action.
3. Compelling messaging: The message conveyed in an advertising campaign should be clear, concise, and compelling. It should communicate the unique selling proposition (USP) of the product or service and highlight its benefits or solutions to consumer needs. Memorable slogans, taglines, or catchphrases can also enhance the impact of the campaign.
4. Creative execution: The creative elements of an advertising campaign, such as visuals, design, copywriting, and multimedia content, play a significant role in capturing attention and creating a lasting impression. The creative execution should align with the brand’s identity, evoke emotions, and engage the target audience effectively.
5. Multi-channel approach: In today’s digital age, successful campaigns often utilize multiple advertising channels to reach their target audience. This may include a combination of traditional media (TV, radio, print) and digital platforms (websites, social media, search engines, mobile apps). A multi-channel approach ensures broader reach and enables the campaign to adapt to different consumer preferences and media consumption habits.
6. Consistency and repetition: Consistency in messaging and visual elements across different touchpoints helps reinforce the campaign’s impact. Repetition of the key message aids in creating brand recall and building familiarity with the audience. However, it’s crucial to strike a balance to avoid overexposure and audience fatigue.
7. Measurable results: A successful campaign should have mechanisms in place to measure its effectiveness and impact. Setting up key performance indicators (KPIs) allows you to evaluate the campaign’s performance objectively. Metrics such as increased website traffic, sales figures, lead generation, brand mentions, social media engagement, or surveys can provide valuable insights into the campaign’s success and areas for improvement.
8. Adaptability and agility: The advertising landscape is constantly evolving, and successful campaigns are often those that can adapt to changes and leverage emerging trends. Being agile in responding to market dynamics, consumer feedback, or technological advancements helps keep the campaign relevant and effective.
9. Return on investment (ROI): Ultimately, a successful advertising campaign should deliver a positive return on investment. It should generate sufficient revenue or other desired outcomes that outweigh the costs associated with creating and running the campaign. Analyzing the campaign’s ROI helps assess its effectiveness and make informed decisions for future advertising initiatives.

It’s important to note that the specific factors contributing to a successful advertising campaign can vary depending on the industry, target audience, and campaign objectives. It’s crucial to conduct thorough research, plan strategically, and continuously evaluate and optimize the campaign to achieve the desired results.

If only it were easy. Maybe Ai will make it all very easy.  It’s an oversimplification to read this list like a set of ingredients, that once poured into a bowl will deliver a great dish.

What the list does not tell you is that the man who invented USP also created the line, “M&M’s melt in your mouth, not in your hand.” Clever.