Don’t Become a Victim of Ad Fails
We have all seen them. Those advertisements that are cringe-worthy, unpurposely funny or just leave you questioning what you just experienced. And, let’s be honest, we all have a bit of anxiety that at some point our business or our brand may fall victim to the great advertising fails.
While we won’t guarantee that we can prevent all mishaps, we do suggest you follow these simple rules to avoid joining the ranks of the many brands that have experienced the nightmare of failed ads.
Spell-check, Spell-check, Spell-check
Seems simple right, or is it write? But as you can see, just performing a standard spell-check within your document doesn’t guarantee security. Use spell-check and have someone perform a copy edit on all materials that will be representing your company publicly.
Want to be extra safe? There are platforms where you can submit larger documents to receive a professional edit. This ensures all words are spelled correctly and used appropriately.
Know Your Audience
Who are you trying to reach? Who is your primary audience? Who is your secondary audience? Each brand, and sometimes each product, speaks differently to individuals. Are you selling organic, meatless hot dogs? You probably don’t want to have a booth at the Oklahoma Tackle, Hunting & Fishing Show.
Create an ad that will inspire your audience to imagine themselves taking action. Or in the example above, sinking their canines into a juicy, healthy, organic vegan hot dog.
Not sure who your audience is? At Kinetic, we’re pretty good at finding out!
Don’t Be Too Safe
At the same time, don’t just create a blanketed ad that is broad enough to appeal to everyone. These just end up being overlooked and ignored. The best ads cause consumers to stop and take notice of the messaging.
Be Authentic
People are becoming more and more skeptical about advertising. Try to reduce the use of common stock photography and cheesy catchphrases. Use real people doing real things. Ask your best customers or employees to be in photo shoots, radio testimonials, and interviews. Create your brand messaging with unique imagery and real stories. People will take notice.
Check out how Kinetic used real people in Brewer Dental Center photographs.
Placement is Key
It’s said that the customers who cost you the most money are those you never see or never see you. The most engaging ad is only as good as the place it lives. Don’t spend the time, heartache and money in creating ads and then place them in the cheapest outlets. Find prime spots when you can and send out messaging directly to your audience through emails, targeted digital ads, social ads, and thoughtful media placements.
Advertising is still one of the best ways to attract new business, build brand awareness and create loyalty. It can also be expensive. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on ads that don’t work or that fail to reach their targeted audience. The most important thing you can do to prevent an advertising fail is to develop a strategic marketing plan, which outlines your brand voice and messaging. Within this plan include a quality-assurance plan on all outfacing communications. This will help ensure all ads are consistent, meet brand standards and proofed.
Leave the cringe-worthy ads on the cutting room floor. Get a strong plan in place, adhere to a process and enlist the aid of an agency like Kinetic to chase the fails away.
