Advertising for Less Business?

by Steve Fradkin, President
The Wizard of Adz

Ask anyone why they advertise and the answer will almost invariably be “to sell stuff.”  But not always.

Obviously, there are many reasons to advertise.  To introduce a new product.  To make people think better of your company.  To counteract bad publicity.  To encourage a specific action (such as writing your Congressman).  Lots of reasons.

But advertise for less business?

I once worked for a booking agency that represented some of the most famous speakers in the world.  Every now and then, one of them would ask me: “Everybody knows who I am.  I have all the speaking engagements I can handle.  Why would I need a brochure?”

The answer was easy: for less business.  By stimulating demand for a product or service with limited supply, the price goes up.  Prices up = less demand.  So, with less business, the speaker — or, perhaps, your company — can make more money.  If you were a speaker, wouldn’t you rather do ten engagements at, say, $10,000 each than twenty at $5,000 each, even though the money was the same?

This is all part of determining your advertising strategy.  This strategy is determining the role of your advertising — the part your advertising will play in your total marketing plan.  OK, maybe you don’t want your advertising to lower your unit sales.  But consider these possibilities:

You want your advertising to produce leads that your sales staff can follow up.

You want your advertising to make prospects aware of your product, so your salespeople will at least encounter a “yeah, I’ve heard of that” when they cold-call.

You want your advertising to generate traffic, so you can parlay a small sale or giveaway into a larger sale.

Determining the role of advertising is just one of many strategies companies skip or don’t even think of.  That’s why our advertising — Strategy-Driven Creative Advertising — is so successful.  Give us 15 minutes of your time, and let us show you how these and other strategies play out — and how we can help you do less business, or as much business as you’d like.  Call Sharon at The Wizard of Adz (781-821-1818) or email Sharon@WizardOfAdz.com.