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One of the most important, yet forgotten rules of sales is that once the salesperson has described the product, and described how a product meets the customer's needs, the salesperson must ask for the order, or "close" the sale.  We've all heard or seen statements similar to the ones above, imploring; even bribing; consumers to purchase products or services.  Based upon that golden rule of salesmanship, these are examples of adspeak used so frequently that they've become clichés.  Utilized by less-than-brilliant copywriters, they assume that the potential buyer has paid attention to the advertiser's message, and will hopefully push a buyer-on-the-brink past his or her objections to the purchase.  Such urgency, some marketers feel, is necessary lest the buyer lose interest, or, God forbid, forget the product once the commercial's over or the page is turned.

SOME SLOGANS

A different kind of adspeak is not urgent at all.  Its intention is to raise the consumer's consciousness about a product; but doesn't adhere to the old-fashioned "ask for the order" technique.  The assumption is that the slogan associated with one's product will be so catchy and memorable, the buyer will either overtly or subliminally recall, and purchase, your product from amongst competitive offerings.

"I loved it so much I bought the company" - Remington shavers.

"Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is" - Alka-Seltzer

"A diamond is forever" - DeBeers Mines

"Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" - Secret deodorant

"There's nothing like a Hoover when you're dealing with dirt"

"Leave the driving to us" - Greyhound Bus Lines

"I bet you can't eat just one" - Lay's potato chips

(Here's some history... how many of you remember:) "Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick (this year)?"

MADISON AVENUE

Finally, there's the internal language of Madison Avenue (a street in New York City synonymous with advertising agencies, because at one time the preponderance of ad agencies were located thereon).  There are two major categories of advertising:  "consumer advertising" and "industrial advertising."

Industrial advertising encompasses advertisements, most typically print and on-line, aimed at businesses and those who make purchasing decisions on their behalf.  Industrial print-ads can be found in trade publications, industry newsletters, and printed and on-line catalogues.

By far the larger category of advertising is consumer advertising. 

"Let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes." - to test an advertisement and measure the results via market research.  (This phrase is considered by newcomers to the advertising business to be somewhat archaic.) Which brings us to:

"Test markets" - cities in which various ads are tested before the most successful is utilized on a national or international basis.  The ads which garner the most favorable results in market research are then "rolled-out" on a complete regional, national, or international basis.  Advertising success is measured by both market research, and, more importantly, an ad's ability to increase sales for the advertiser.

"SMSA" - standard metropolitan statistical area.  Heavily-populated portions of the country.  The smaller of these are where ads are tested.  The larger of these are also called "major markets."

Clio Awards - advertising agencies submit their best work to this organization.  Juries comprised of experts in their field (television, radio, print, on-line, and student-created) then select from the submissions the most significant works in their field.  The Clio awards are typically announced in May each year.  The Clio awards have been bestowed since 1959, beginning in the U.S.  The Clio awards competition is today open to advertisers world-wide.

"Spot" - a television or radio commercial.  Television "spots" run in 15-, 30-, and 60-second intervals.  The most famous "spots" are the television commercials produced for the Super Bowl (U.S. football championship game) each year.  Americans actually can't wait to see the clever, expensively-produced commercials, for which the advertiser is charged, typically, millions of dollars.

"Direct Marketing" - Marketing directly to individual consumers.  Most typically advertisements mailed to members of a list which is purchased by the advertiser ("Junk Mail").  "Tele-marketing" is the often-annoying but still-used process of calling potential customers on the telephone to peddle one's product or service.  In the United States, tele-marketing is now heavily regulated by the government.  Individuals may sign up for a "do-not-call" list and advertisers must compare their own call-lists to the larger set of "do-not-calls" to ensure compliance.  Violations are subject to fines.  "Spam" is the Internet equivalent to "junk mail," and is also so annoying to consumers that it's become regulated in the U.S.  However, "spammers" from out of the country can evade the regulatory requirements that "spam" email contain a name, address and telephone number of the advertiser, as well as an easy device to "opt-out" of being sent additional emails from the advertiser.  Direct marketing also encompasses "door-to-door" sales of products (e.g., Amway, Fuller Brush) and in-home demonstrations of products (Electrolux, Avon, Mary-Kay cosmetics).

"Product Placement" - a whole niche in the advertising industry devoted to getting a client's product exposed by including it in a television program or movie.  Companies pay TV and motion picture producers hefty sums so that the characters in their programs are seen using their products.  This began many years ago when motor car companies would provide the use of vehicles for television programs in exchange for being named in the end credits (the text which typically flashes or "rolls" up the screen at the end of the program). Thanks to Jack for pointing out that many film and TV production companies will actually pay a Brand for the permission to use their products in their programs (ostensibly because the Brand is essential to a character or to the plot.

"Info-mercials" - as opposed to "spot" advertising, an advertiser actually purchases a whole block of time, typically on television, and creates a 30- to 60- minute "program" which covers the complete features of their product or service, and includes demonstrations, recipes, applications, etc.  U.S. hypester Ron Popeil is recognized as the "king" of Info-mercials.  His "Veg-O-Matic" slicer/dicer/chopper started out being demonstrated and sold at state fairs and in shopping malls by Popeil-trained sales personnel who typically had a fast "patter" (sales pitch) and an answer for each and every customer objection.  Today, Popeil's company, Ronco, markets nearly two-dozen products on television, via direct mail, in malls, and, of course, on the internet.

"Logo" - (short for "logotype") originally a single piece of lead type which contained the motto, insignia or trademark of a company, now any trademarked visual device intended to distinguish a company or organization.

WHO'S WATCHING?

The cost to an advertiser to place ads, whether in print or on electronic media, is determined by the potential number of people who'll be exposed to the ad.  Newspapers measure this via "circulation," the number of papers sold each day ("readership").  Measuring viewership in television or listenership in radio is a trickier endeavor.  TV and Radio stations typically rely on a combination of measurement and market research.  The most famous researcher of media exposure is the Nielsen organization, which in the 1960's began placing information recording devices in selected homes nationwide to record the television viewing habits of American families.  Nowadays, there are still "Nielsen families" who're paid to have a metering device attached to the televisions in their home, although Nielsen has branched out by utilizing self-written viewing/listening "diaries" and questionnaires to measure viewer/listenership.

SOURCES:

  • http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=1204c00e606c5010VgnVCM100000880a260aRCRD"
  • http://www.clioawards.com/juries/index.cfm
  • http://www.ogilvy.com/
  • http://www.ronco.com/
  • Interview:  James J. Tommaney, President, Tommaney Marketing Services, New York, NY (1984)
  • Interview:  R. Cherins, Vice President, Tatham-Laird & Kudner Direct, New York, NY (1979)
  • http://www.graphicdesign.co.uk/jargon/

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