Marketing Tip - October 07
| 1. | How many times do I need to run an advert to make it effective? Dr. Herbert Krugman's 1972 study found that you only have to run an ad three times to be effective, however, more recent studies have shown that ads need to run as many as 15 times. |
| 2. | Does colour work better than black and white? According to studies on print advertising recall, two-colour ads work better than black and white but not by enough to make them worth the extra cost. However, the recall numbers rise significantly for four-colour ads. In fact, a small four-colour ad will do better than a full page, two-colour ad. Recall for four-colour ads: 43%, recall for two-colour ads: 34%, recall for black and white: 32%. |
| 3. | Will people buy a product if they like the ad? Yes in some instances. However, some studies show that for packaged goods, liking the ad is not enough. People must also like the product and its package. However, some studies suggest that sales of big-ticket items, such as cars, may benefit from ads that are annoying. |
| 4. | When does word of mouth advertising work? Word of mouth advertising works if you're a lawyer, mechanic or other provider of a personal service. About 50% of people rely on what they hear about services. To generate word of mouth for products, aim ads at the 10% of consumers known as early adopters - the ones who try new products and recommend them to others. |
| Source: Michael G. Crawford, writing in Profit, 777 Bay St, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON M5W 1A7 |