Firstly, is the question “Do people like advertising?” the primary concern that business owners should have when creating their campaigns? Well let’s go back to the primary purpose of creating an advertising campaign in the first place. Do you advertise for people to like your advertising or do you advertise to get more customers and sales? These 2 things are 2 very different outcomes and will dictate the style of advertising that you choose. If you want people to like your advertising, here is the question you should ask yourself: What will they do as a result of liking my advertising?
If they like your advertising because it’s funny and entertaining: They will laugh and they might even talk about your advertising at parties. If that is the case your advertising is producing the outcome of making your company look or sound cool, and you are getting positive brand awareness as a result. Will people buy from you because of this? Maybe but there is no guarantee.
If people like your advertising because the graphics and colors are classy. Again you will get positive brand reinforcement and people who are sensitive to aesthetics. If the style you have chosen is an honest representation of your true values, then the perception of your company will be the right one. But again this is not necessarily getting you sales. I have seen many beautiful ads for Audi SUV and I am not driving one. Your prospects may find your advertising very pleasing for the eye but they may be loyal to another brand because of its pricing. This kind of choice is more likely to be rife in a tight economy.
The psychology of liking advertising…or not, is changing. On average a human being is exposed to about 1500 advertising messages every single day, so are we getting over it? if you believe what people do to avoid advertising, muting the TV or radio during the ad breaks, skipping the ad sections in the newspapers etc.. there is no doubt that people like advertising less and less. This is why “permission marketing” is now a rule on the internet. This is also why business owners are increasingly turning to relationship marketing like social media, where advertising is no longer static but by enlarge based on “the conversation”, what’s new and exciting.
Pretty advertising versus PR and advertorials. For those who have read a few of my articles on advertising you will be aware that I tend to favor telling your story in a newsworthy way, and letting your people know exactly how they would benefit from doing business with you, and why they should contact you now. In a lot of cases this alone will create an instant response that you couldn’t dream of creating with an expensive graphic designed advertisement.
What to choose? Advertising that people like, or direct response advertising? Frankly it depends on your budget. Big companies still do both, on one hand they will produce TV ads where picture quality or innovative humor will be the main draw card and on the other hand they will look closely at direct response, conversation based marketing through facebook, twitter, YouTube and the likes. We are living in the era of automation but it seems like the backlash is an increased desire for a true “one on one” relationship between providers and their clients.
Many companies are making ongoing success without doing any traditional advertising and without ever wondering whether or not people like advertising. Does “advertising that people like” still suit your budget and your style of product? If your marketing strategy includes testing and measuring the results, you will soon know, but you may save yourself a lot of money by observing and studying current trends and going for the one most likely to grow your business at the lowest cost.