| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Change, or Reinforce?
Do you know about the distinction - and it's a useful one - between communication that tries to reinforce and communication that tries to get change? If you follow politics you'll already be familiar with this idea: Incumbents send messages that reinforce existing voter behavior, while challengers call for changes. Any thoughtful marketing communication (and political communication is marketing communication) will be strongly influenced by this distinction, which affects not only the content, but also the presentation, and perhaps even the medium. For example, suppose you own a bookstore and every couple of months you send a newsletter to all residences within a two mile radius. Now, if you have good market share and you're profitable, you won't want to rock the boat. You'll want to reinforce existing behaviors (which include buying at your store). On the other hand, if you just opened a new bookstore and need to take market share from other bookstores, then you want change existing book buying behavior. Another example: Suppose your employee safety program has worked well for the past year and you want to maintain the practices that led to this longest-ever period without an accident. Your communication would reinforce. On the other hand, if the safety record was unacceptable, you would try to get change through your communication. In a change situation, we want to upset the status quo, to challenge existing beliefs and ways of doing things. That means the words and style could be somewhat inflammatory. We can do this by making bold claims or allegations: Just listen to, or look at, advertising claims like these: "If you shop at Joe's Bookstore, you may be paying too much!" or, "Drive a bit further and save a lot more at Jane's Bookstore!" Change also might be hurried by painting negative scenarios , as in "Unless we get more efficient, senior management will outsource the whole department." Tactically, change usually demands more communication, as in more often and more words or pages. As you can imagine, it takes more communication to drive change than to stay on the same course. There are also tactics we can use to reinforce existing beliefs or actions. To maintain the status quo we can stress a service record, as in, "Serving you with quality and service for 25 years." or "Your performance has been very good over the past year, Betty. Keep up the good work." Reinforcement does not automatically rule out change; however, it emphasizes incremental and gradual change rather than major and abrupt change. You can also appeal to shared values or experiences to reinforce. Nothing commits us to staying the course like emotional cues that link good times to the status quo. For example, consider the power of an advertising slogan that begins, "Remember when...." It connects a powerful, positive emotion with a product or service. By extension, the product or service offers an opportunity to relive that good time. In summary, make a distinction in your communication between reinforcing and changing. Decide which way you want to go, and then choose the appropriate strategies, tactics, and tools. Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Creativity and Getting Outside of the Box Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper? Wondering where in the world to start? I have a suggestion. Turn the page upside down. If You Want To Get More Customers, Heres 10 Powerful Stories To Improve Your Ads Remember, as a child lying in bed and listening to stories. Remember how engaged you were. What Does Your Business Card Say? Business cards are the most underutilized and misunderstood marketing tool in business. Many people spend the bucks for cards and don't make an effort to get them into the hands of those who can hire them or buy from them. How To Write Ads That Get Response Your print ads should do more than just get noticed. Their job is to bring you business, and if all they do is lay around and attract attention, they're no different from the lazy employee who does nothing all day but look busy. Internet Advertising: How To Use The Golden Rule To Enrich Yourself. What is the golden rule of internet advertising?Give, so you may receive.It is as simple as that. Lamination of Signs I suspect that everyone has an idea of what lamination is even if you have only seen it in passing. Restaurant menus are a common example. Testing Headlines A correspondent to AdBriefing, my monthly newsletter, has posed a very sticky question. How, she asks, can you tell whether a headline you have written is a good one?or not? What she means by this, I imagine, is whether the headline will actually help to make sales, rather than just act as a passing amusement to its readers. How To Get Big Sponsorship Money for Your Band, Tour, Event or Production Touring is a bands greatest opportunity for success. But, touring can be very expensive. Joint Ventures Increase Profits Quickly A joint venture is when two or more businesses join together to work on a project for a set period of time. Doing joint ventures with other businesses can increase your chances of beating your competition, increase your sales and increase your profits quickly. How To Make A Fortune With FREE Advertising! How To Gain FREE Advertising That Will Make You Rich!Okay-Just What Exactly Is "Free Advertising"???Before I get into the specifics of actually HOW to get free advertising - it's important for you to completely understand exactly what free advertising is."Free Advertising" is any mention, listing or "blurb" about your product in a magazine, newsletter, book, manual, directory etc. How to Know if Direct Mail Will Work for Your Business Here's a great lesson that applies to direct mail. Ready? Some people say one thing and do the opposite. Send em to the White Pages Your business is listed in the Yellow Pages whether you buy an ad or not. Your business is listed in the Yellow Book and the other phone books, too, no purchase necessary. Secrets to Profitable Mail Order Products The most profitable mail order products are simple 3-to-5 page informational reports such as this one. Once you've got your act together, these 3-page reports can be produced for $10 per hundred or less, and sold for at least $200 per hundred. Online Advertising: 10 High Impact Psychological Triggers To Super-Charge Your Ad If you knew these 10 high impact insider's hidden psychological triggers and plug them into your Ad and website content, you can empower them and ignite a tornado of sales at your website.Read, understand and use them and burst open the floodgate of sales. Understanding The Basics Of Advertising I get the L.A. Moving Message Board Moving message boards are used in the areas where continuous announcements, or other information are need to be displayed in to either indoor or outdoor. Used most widely in churches, schools, airports, other transport stations, banks, production and administration department of organization as marquee information billboards. Advertising Basics for Beginners So many of us who have decided to do business online have no background in marketing or advertising. It can be so frustrating without any kind of guide. Cross Cultural Advertising "Culture is a like dropping an Alka-seltzer into a glass - you don't see it, but somehow it does something," Hans Magnus Enzensberger.Culture affects everything we do. Present Your Product On A TV Show for FREE Would you like to get your new or existing Internet business moving nearly at the speed of light? Do you know what is required to get your business noticed and how to build your personal credibility fast, making clients secure enough to purchase from you over the Internet?The Simple AnswerThe primary answer is putting potential clients in a comfort zone relative to your product quality and your reputation as an authority in your marketing niche.One SolutionMarket it on television. Advertising That Annoys: The Real Story Critics conclude that entertaining or "creative" commercials sell better than those that are bland. But liking the commercial may not really be that important in the scheme of things.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
