"10 ads that can cost you money..."

Have you ever worked with an advertising agency or marketing firm, and finally realized that they just didn't get it? After big bucks were spent and multiple re-dos were submitted, the outcome was still just generic pablum?

Or maybe even worse, the ad really looked cool. It was the kind of ad that wins awards in advertising contests. You know, the kinds of contests that all agencies enter, and are voted on by their peers.

Only problem is, in those agency contests, nobody ever asks if the ads actually worked! Truth is, too often, it doesn't matter if they work, only if they win awards...

I probably make a few enemies in the advertising biz when I suggest to my clients that they'd have a lot more fun and get the same results if they'd just drive downtown on a busy day, and throw that wasted advertising money out of the car window!

Can you look at this list of ad campaigns and feel relieved because none of it has ever happened to you? Hopefully, you've never ended up with:
  1. Ads that are poorly placed.
  2. Ads that are aloof and cold.
  3. Ads that don't tell your story.
  4. Ads that are improperly timed.
  5. Ads that don't meet deadlines.
  6. Ads that have no call to action.
  7. Ads that offer no benefits to your prospects.
  8. Ads that are designed to be prize winners among the advertising elite.
  9. Ads that are insanely expensive, either from production cost, media, or maybe even both.
  10. Ads that initially make you feel good because they make you look cool. I call them Vanity Ads. Unfortunately, they rarely work...

The unfortunate truth is that most advertising/marketing agencies seem to consistently under-deliver and over-charge. And they'll keep on doing it unless you call them on it.

And when you do confront them, do they have what it takes to stop what they've been doing, and develop an effective campaign built around your USP? Effective, meaning that it produces results and builds your brand awareness?

MyUSP.biz. Your answer to these questions.