Advertising Myth Exposed

Does advertising really sell product? Guest contributor Janice Jenkins takes a look at a common myth in the arena of advertising and marketing.

THERE’S ANOTHER MYTH CIRCULATING in the marketing industry — that advertising sells products. From flyer printing, brochures and business cards to printing greeting cards, promoting your products and services will give you the edge you need to succeed in your chosen niche. It just proves that whatever kind of advertising you’ll somehow benefit from it.

This may be true about almost half a century ago, when there were 3 TV networks available, or even a decade ago when there were at least 30 channels competing for your consumers’ attention. Advertising may be the miracle drug then for all businesses; but not anymore. Advertising today can either help you succeed, or make you fail miserably.

That is why the timing of your advertising is crucial to your success. Then, advertising is a remedy when you are not getting the results you wanted. If your product is not accomplishing any of your goals, or if your business is not making a statement in the way of getting you high profits, then you turn to advertising to help you boost your standing.

Indeed, advertising was often used before as a problem-solver. You don’t have the profits you need to boost your business? Then you turn to advertising. Your target market is not reacting the way you expected them to? It’s advertising for you. It seems that your marketing campaign is the last resort when things are not going the way you planned them.

This is where most business owners are wrong. Advertising doesn’t solve anything. Not very likely. With so many tools and media that make it easy for many companies to reach out to their target audience, it’s no wonder that business owners are having a hard time trying to convince their target market to buy from them.

There is so much information and marketing messages out there competing for your clients’ attention that every consumer needs more than advertising to help them make their buying decision. Just imagine that you have to vie for their attention along with the other 4,000 messages out there. And that’s everyday! It’s not surprising then that you need to come up with a stronger vehicle to convince your target market of your benefits.

This is the fact:

there are a thousand choices that your consumers have for a product they need. And that’s only for one product. But what about the other products and services that they don’t actually need but are still there trying to catch their attention? There are a million of them in fact. There are a million things out there that every consumer sees which they can decide to buy or not.

What do you need to do then?

You need to reach out to your target audience on a personal level. Don’t try to compete head on with the things that occupy your target clients’ time. Talk to them individually. Then maybe your advertising will have a chance in getting their attention.


Janice Jenkins

Janice Jenkins is a writer for a marketing company in Chicago, IL. Mostly into marketing research, Janice started writing articles early 2007 to impart her knowledge to individuals new to the marketing industry.
GO The Print Place