Top 12 Blog Posts of 2012 on Power Marketing Blog

Review the top 12 Blog posts of 2012.

Top 12 Posts of 2012 on Power Marketing Blog from George Torok

 

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Passion Billboard Advertising - So What?

This billboard caught my attention with the word "Passion".

That's a powerful attention grabbing word.

And then I was confused.

What are they selling? What are the benefits? Why should I care?

Bracelets? Is this a jewellery store? What is the name of the store?

There was a split second of interest followed by confusion and frustration.

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Who is Sandpiper? What do they do? Why Would you Care?

Another billboard advertisement gone bad - this time from Sandpiper.

This billboard is one of the worst that I've seen recently.

The first test is to catch attention. There is nothing - text or image wise  - to catch attention of vehicle drivers.

Take the test. Scan it for three seconds. What did you see?

My eyes did a left to right and back a few times. Nothing grabbed my attention and nothing was memorable. What is this sign about? Who cares? That's the reaction of most drivers as they pass this sign.

The next test is "What is the message?"

Go ahead and scan it again  What are the benefits? What are the features? Who are they talking to?

If you have 30 seconds you might notice the phrase "Trust Sandpiper to comfort your nest".

What does that mean?????

Let's run down to Sandpiper and give them our money because we want to comfort our nest.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Bill Board Advertising - Balaclava Wearing Salesmen

Remember the 3 to 5 second rule. When you are driving along the road a bill board advertisement only has about 3 to 5 seconds to catch your attention, offer a solution and call to action.

When you are driving there's a lot of competition for your attention.

So glance at this billboard with the guy in the balaclava.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind? Perhaps it's terrorist. The image is so compelling that your eyes will probably focus on it for a few seconds. Then your eyes might jump to the words "Don't Sign" and you might be wondering what is this about.

My eyes bounced between the image of the guy in the balaclava and the words "Don't Sign" a few times.

This sign caught my attention BUT I don't know the message or what I should do.

For sure I will be looking for guys in balaclavas at my door - but I don't know why.



George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Bill Board Advertisement - Fighting for Customers

Who is Bill Board Advertising aimed at? People in cars and mostly car drivers.

When I say cars let's include SUVs, pick-up trucks and vans.

That means the main target for bill board advertisements are vehicle drivers.

Those people might be sipping the coffee that they just picked up at the drive-through. They might be stressing about the other guy who just cut them off. They might be lost in the tunes blasting from their CD player. They might be engrossed in the talk show on their radio. They might be arguing with their spouse or lecturing the kids in the back seat.

Hopefully they might be checking their sight-lines (front, back and sides) for other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Unfortunately, too many will be engaged in phone calls or texting.

We know one thing for sure - they are not searching for the next bill board.

Yet, it seems to me that many bill board advertisers ignore reality in favour of their own sense of self importance. They create or accept an advertisement that was created to talk to a buyer relaxing in the easy chair with nothing else to think about except your ad.

Look at the above bill board advertisement for three seconds. What do you see? Where did your eyes go? What message did you capture?

A bill board needs to first grab attention, offer a solution and then direct the action - all in about 3 to 5 seconds.

Grab Attention?

What might grab your attention on this sign? The word "Fighting". Who might be attracted to the word "Fighting"? The first thing that came to my mind was Mixed Martial Arts. The next thing was people who are angry.

The image on the right side is a suit of armour but it is difficult to see. The image is made more difficult because there is no head. Why is there no head on this knight? My eyes bounced between the word Fighting and the image a few times while trying to distinguish the message.

Once I realised that it was a suit of armour I wondered if the advertisement was for the dinner jousting program. You watch armoured knights on horseback enact a medieval joust while you enjoy a sumptuous meal. I've heard of it.

By the time the five seconds elapsed the impact was lost.

I later walked past this sign to take this photo and I had time to study this bill board. I think the ad is for a law firm. I think the target audience is accident victims. The text reads "Fighting honourably for accident victims. I wonder if accident victims really care about how honourably the law firm acts. I think they want their money.

In the Olympic spirit, on a scale of 0 to 10 I would give this bill board advertisement a two.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Wet Basement ?

This is a good billboard because if you have or had a wet basement you will pay attention to it.

When you advertise on a billboard remember that you only have a few seconds to catch the attention of your prospects.

You are most likely to grab attention by addressing their current pain.

If you were driving by this billboard while experiencing suffering with a wet basement at home, you'll pay attention and note the contact information.

If you don't have a wet basement you won't pay attention and you were not a prospect.


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter