ADGRAPHS

Super Bowl Ads

2012-02-06T19:54:00.001-08:00

By now you must have seen or at least heard about the best Super Bowl commercials from Sunday. Who could not help but laugh at the naked M&Ms or dream of a fun new people couch or poopless baby in the Toyota spot. How about the epic Chevy Truck driving out of the rubble only to find out Twinkie's survived the end of the world but Ford didn't. These are some of the most memorable ads of the year and for good reason. They caught you off guard, they shocked you, they made you smile, and they had you talking.

What ad caught your attention and had you talking?

We're Back!

2012-01-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

We would like to tell you it was a fun packed vacation the in tropics for a few months. So, that’s what we are going to say. Now, don't be too jealous. We have been working had to meet all your upcoming needs this year. We figured since it is a new year, lets kick it off with a bang! We are offering logo designs and redesigns at 25% off all January long. Start off your year by getting a makeover. Expect more to come and don’t forget to keep checking back for updates and new deals. Have a great 2012.

TIP OF THE WEEK: How To Scare Off Customers With Social Media.

2011-08-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

For years now everyone says you have to use social media for your business. What they don't tell you, is how to do it. In the end it all comes down to a balancing act. Just the right amount of content mixed with just enough information, but not too much.

An easy way to scare off customers is to bombard them with too much content. Over time your content becomes a nuisance and many consumers will avoid your business. On the other end of the spectrum, you could have too little of a presents. In this situation people tend to forget about your business. The right balance will keep people wanting more and getting it before they have lost interest.

Now for the content itself. The idea of social media is for your content to create a reaction. If you provide all the information you may leave little room for discussion. If things are too vague, there may not be enough interest to raise questions or thoughts. A major part of your content making a reaction is providing information that people are genuinely intrigued by. Try making it something you would tell a person during a normal conversation. This way they are inclined to respond.

The best way to find the right balance is by testing it out. Start by adding a little less or more until you see a change in response. At that point adjust the level to keep interest high.

There’s a tip to make things a little less scary

TIP OF THE WEEK: Zig When They Zag

2011-08-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

One of the basic concepts behind advertising is to stand out. When your advertising looks and feels like the competitions you are defeating the purpose. Advertising has a tendency to follow trends. When one concept is successful, others try and recreate the same idea hoping for a piece of the action. It may seem like a good idea to follow a working trend but the reality is, you should do the complete opposite. These trends create and opportunity to stick out and show your business off.

There are three key ways to stand out. The first way is a visual approach. If your competition is using mostly visuals and just a few lines of copy, try going all copy. Maybe the trend is lots of color. In the case you could use black and white with just a splash of color. What ever the current look , do the opposite. The second way to zig is the location. Lately the use of social media has been the craze. Online sites have become over saturated with advertising and businesses pushing their products. Now would be the right time to find a different form of media. Depending on the product or service a spot on the radio or a pod cast could really standout and have a high impact. The third way to stand out is the benefit. During this rough economy we see lots of deals and discounts. Everyone wants to be able to offer the lowest price. This is the perfect time to show off your product or service. Lets say you are a restaurant. Most restaurants advertise their specials and offer coupons. If you have outdoor seating, sell that! All I know about the other places is that they all offer discounts. With your outdoor seating I know can sit down, relax, enjoy the weather and forget about the bill.

Pay attention to the current trends and make sure you zig when they zag. This way you stay ahead of the competition and stand out from the crowd.

That’s a tip that really stands out!

TIP OF THE WEEK: In The News

2011-07-22T04:02:00.001-07:00

The newspaper can be a great place to advertise. It gets to a large audience at low cost. The problem is, you get what you pay for. Most people read the paper for the news, not the ads. Unfortunately, the paper allows readers to easily skip ads. The trick is getting people to read the ads. There are three techniques that can increase the chance your ad get noticed.

The first ad is very simple, place a normal ad and make notes on it. Take a red pen and scribble on the ad as if you were interested in the product. You can circle the phone number or web address, even circle the whole ad. Write a note such as "call for a quote this week" or "honey, please go get this". It makes the reader believe someone has left them the note. This way the are likely to read the ad because they didn't know it was just part of the ad. 

The next style ad works when placed in just the right spot. Your ad should read like a news article. It should have a headline and copy. The headline could read something like "heat wave killing lawns across county". The article should talk about the problem and how your business specialize in bringing lawns back to life. Do not use a logo or it will look like an ad and most likely be skipped over. This ad is very subtle but when done right can be very effective. 

The third type of ad is like the second style with a twist. The news article should not mention your business. On the next page or so place your real ad. Now make sure your ad talks about how it can solve the issues from the article. This way readers believe in the problem and you just happened to offer the solution.

Now that's a news worthy tip!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Give It Away

2011-07-14T04:01:00.001-07:00

Who doesn’t want something for free. All we need to do is see the word free and we are immediately interested. The big part of giving something away for free is to make sure it is really free with no obligation. You may have seen offers for a free i-pad online and when you click to get it, you are asked to sign up for some service(s). Well, that’s not free. The free we are talking about is the no strings attached free.
The way this works is when people receive something for free, they feel indebted to return the favor. For example, say your neighbor lends you something such as a lawn tool. Then down the road if they ask to borrow a tool , you would now feel obligated to lend it to them. Any product, service, or advice you have to offer will work. It can be as simple as providing weekly tips on your blog, offering advice on an online forum, or handing out free samples. What ultimately happens, is you build a relationship that creates trust. That trust then turns into potential business. As a bonus your freebie can create buzz by word of mouth. When we get a great deal (free) we have a need to brag about it. Offer something that shows off your business but leaves the consumer needing more.

That’s our free advice for the week!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Make It Simple

2011-07-06T22:18:00.001-07:00

It is believed that we see between 1,600 and 3,000 advertisement/logos a day. With the amount of advertising out there today, there's just no room for anything extra. That means your advertisement needs to be as simple as possible. No bells and whistles, no www.'s, no physical addresses, and no information that isn't absolutely necessary. If a consumer wants more information they will seek it out. Unfortunately our society doesn't have time or the desire to see advertisements. That is exactly why clean simple ads work. Think of your ad as a billboard. You have 7 seconds to get the message across. You don't have to worry about holding onto anyone's attention If your ad can provide a clear interesting message in 7 seconds or less.
The important thing to remember is just because the ad is simple that doesn't mean it has to be boring. The ad should be creative and interesting. It should provoke the consumer to contact you because they saw a benefit they desired in a new and fresh way.
Just another simple tip!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Tag Lines

2011-06-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

What exactly is a tag line? A tag line is a branding slogan used to describe you or your business in a memorable way. A well written tag line should provide tone and insight to your business. Think of it like the super abbreviated version of Cliff Notes for businesses.

Your tag line should tell consumers what makes you different. For example Burger King used
the slogan “Have it your way” for years. What makes Burger King different is they don't just make burgers, they make custom burgers. If they had said “America’s Best Burger” they wouldn't have told us anything special about their business. The right line can have a huge impact on how consumers remember your business. In some cases the tag line can be bigger then the brand it’s self. Im sure you are familiar with “A Diamond is Forever”. It became so famous that many people know the slogan, but don't remember who said it. For those of us who can’t recall the jeweler, it was DeBeers. Not only do they tell you how they specialize in diamond jewelry and that they will last a lifetime but they touch on the fact that their product is a expression of love and commitment.

By expressing your businesses unique product or service in a creative way you can leave a memorable impact on consumers. Look for what is special about your business and how it impacts your consumer. When you find that link you will have a tag line that speaks to your audience.

In the words of Nike, Just Do It!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Business cards

2011-06-24T04:34:00.001-07:00

We all use business cards to help others find us later hoping for some sort of business. We meet someone and say "here's my card, call me" or "check us out online.". Ever think about what happens to that card after you walk away? It gets shoved into someones pocket only to be discovered again. During this discover the only thing speaking for your business is that card. If it's just a white card with some black text as many cards are, it's really not saying a whole lot. Now imagine that card looking like your business, speaking your words. That's a card People want to pick back up again. That's a card people can relate to you and your business. Think about your brand identity and make sure your card expresses that same image.

That's a tip worth picking up!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Take Advantage of Your Customers

2011-06-15T04:18:00.001-07:00

Not only have you worked hard to obtain your existing customers, you have probably spent a lot of time and money as well. That’s why using them to your advantage can really pay off. Did you know studies have shown that it costs six times more to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, and that it’s 16 times easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new one? The reason is, your customers already know and trust you.

Give extra attention to your existing customers. Take the time to make sure they are happy. Periodically make contact to see how your product or service is working for them and what you can do to make their experience better. Send them postcards, flyers, newsletters, as well as birthday cards. Provide extra benefits for being a loyal customer. Offer them something that new customers don’t get such as lower rates, referral discounts, even advanced access to new products or services.

In the long run these are the customers that will help your business grow. They will continue to be repeat buyers and help spread your business thru word of mouth. As we all know, word of mouth is the best form of free advertising. Make these existing customers happy and you will be happy too.

That’s worth taking advantage of!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Being Number One

2011-06-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

Being number 1 in your niche can really boost your credibility. When you hear about a business being voted best in their category you become inclined to try their product or service if they offer something you want or need. That applies to just about any business leading in there category. The trick is to find out what makes your business number 1.  
In almost all cases every business is number one in something. Let's say you have a cupcake shop. Your business just opened so no one has voted you number one yet. Maybe you were the first cupcake shop to open in the lehigh valley. Now you are number one in being the first to offer this service. That makes me believe you have more experience than any other cupcake shop. Let's say you weren't the first shop in town. In this case maybe you sell more cupcakes than any other shop. Now I believe you must have the best cupcakes to sell that many. No matter what your number one is, it will bring your business more credibility. In return that should open the doors to more business.

Now that's one good tip!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Placement

2011-06-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

Placing your ad in the right place can make or break your campaign. To do this effectively you must know your target audience. If your business is a car wash, you know your customers drive and must be 17 or older. With a range like that the newspaper will most likely miss half your target audience. If you post your ad online, again you will miss the majority of your customers since they don't all use the same sites. You could always place multiple ads but that gets expensive and time consuming. Now one place all drivers 17 and up share is the highway. By placing a billboard you can hit your target with one ad.

Now that's on target

TIP OF THE WEEK: Hierarchy

2011-05-24T05:18:00.001-07:00

Hierarchy is the arrangement of a group of items in which they are represented as being above, below, or at the same level as one another. Hierarchy plays a huge role in how a message is read. The easiest place to start with your message is at the top. Seeing that we read from top to bottom the eye is drawn to the top of most images. This is where the key message should be placed. As the eye works it’s way down, secondary information should be placed. To finalize the message any remaining information such as a logo should be placed at the bottom. As the items work their way down, they should also decrease in size. This helps to give a stronger sense of hierarchy to each item above.

That’s The Big Idea!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Problem Solving

2011-05-17T10:03:00.001-07:00

One of the key components to good advertising is offering a solution to the problem. Sounds simple, right? Yet, all too often we see no solution offered in advertising. When we are reminded of our problems and the fix is right in front of us, it becomes hard not to take advantage of the situation. The best part is you become the hero. You solved someone's problems and made life easier.

Problem Solved!