Keeping your Advertising Alive, Longer

In a market of constant change, innovations and overall advertising clutter, it can be tempting to alter your advertising message in an attempt to “be different” and “stand out.” Sometimes change is necessary. But many times it can actually be detrimental to your brand.

So, how can you spend your advertising dollars most wisely? Do you fuel your existing campaign, or develop something new?

It all boils down to advertising longevity...

what's is Advertising longevity?

Advertising longevity is when an ad campaign has more than just “legs” – it’s built upon an amazing idea that can outlast trends and sustain the test of time. Take the following taglines and logos for example – can you name the companies they are paired with?

1. Let’s Motor

2. Just do it

3. My life. My card.

4.

5.

6.

Go ahead and scroll down to the bottom to see if you were correct.

Did you get most of them correct? Did the answers come easily to you? This brand recognition is a result of years of consistent messaging. These campaigns have achieved longevity.

what's so great about advertising longevity?

Besides building recognition, consistency nurtures confidence. It’s no secret that people want what is familiar. By being consistent over time, you are proving reliability, dependability and consistency to your consumer.

You are also allowing your brand to become a part of your prospective consumers’ unconscious mind, where a lot of purchase decisions are made. Think about it– it’s a more comfortable feeling to spend your money on a brand you recognize than one you don’t.

Another plus: consistency saves money! Sticking with one name, one logo, one tagline obviously keeps your costs down from a creative standpoint. It also makes your media budget go farther.

Not only does a new campaign require a lot of media dollars and manpower to roll out, but you are also starting over from an exposure level. Typically, someone needs to be exposed to a concept three to seven times before they will remember it. So why not make those impressions build upon one another, reaffirming your brand in one well-targeted campaign versus starting over each time with a new concept?

So, how do you know if your campaign has longevity?

There is no secret to determining whether or not your campaign has longevity. Just ask yourself: is it working? Are you seeing your desired results?

If your desired results cannot be easily measured with existing information such as sales and/or traffic data, you should consider a research program that will give a measurement of the advertising’s effectiveness to better answer this question.

If your advertising is working, most research suggests you would be better off sticking with it rather than trying something completely new. Now, this definitely does not mean you should keep running the same print and TV over and over again. Rather, all creative produced should stay “on brand,” and all pieces should build upon one another.

how can you achieve/sustain campaign longevity?

Keep it fresh. With time and exposure, ads wear out.

Try new brand contact channels. Having a good media mix helps extend your reach and increase your longevity.

Think outside the realms of traditional TV, print, radio and outdoor. Could you employ a street team to spread your message? Have you considered advertising your message via a social networking program? Starting your own MySpace page? Creating an ad for YouTube?

why must some campaigns come to an end?

As society and our world changes, the marketplace becomes a different environment. With this change comes a transformation in consumers’ beliefs and behaviors. Successful marketing stays on top of these evolutions and refreshes advertising messages accordingly.

However, sometimes these societal evolutions create an environment in which a campaign can no longer be refreshed. And, the time comes to reposition your brand with something new.

For example, in the late 90’s Apple launched an ad campaign with the tagline, “Think Different.” They got consumers’ attention. People not only started to “think” about Apple, they started to buy Apple. After a few years, it no longer made to sense to keep telling people to “Think Different” – they already were. Apple needed to be more aggressive.

In 2002 Apple launched the “Switcher” campaign, featuring “real people” who had switched from the Microsoft Windows platform to the Mac. The “Switcher” campaign, while distinctive, was not very effective, and was gradually phased out in 2003. The advertising concept of the Mac's advantages over the PC was revived in 2006 with the award-winning “Get a Mac” campaign that still runs today.

All of the advertisements play on the perceived weaknesses of standard non-Mac personal computers and corresponding strengths possessed by the Mac OS. The campaign has proven a huge success. Results showed the “Get a Mac” campaign directly resulted in a 42% growth in market share, record sales and cultural influence.

Apple’s ability to “think different” has not only helped them keep up with the changes in the marketplace, but made them a direct contributor to these changes.

So, what's the bottom line?

Your advertising is the most public view of your business strategy. It tells your customers and prospects who you are, what you do and what you stand for. Over time, a sound, consistent ad campaign will translate to a solid, trustworthy brand that helps achieve your business goals.