You have a message, but unless you have a
highly interested audience, getting
the message
into your audience's heart and
mind may take
substantially more than one viewing,
and
as an entrepreneur, you need
to understand
what happens to your message
when it lands
in front of the eyes of your
target market.
The following is a list written
by Thomas
Smith, of London. It outlines
the stages
that people go though when exposed
to your
message. It’s tone may sound
a little light,
but the message is serious.
The 1st time a man looks at your ad, he doesn’t
see it.
The 2nd time, he doesn’t
notice it.
The 3rd time, he is conscious
of its existence.
The 4th time, he faintly
remembers having
seen it.
The 5th time, he reads
the ad.
The 6th time, he turns
up his nose at it.
The 7th time, he reads
it though and says
“Oh, brother!”
The 8th time, he says,
“Here’s that confounded
thing again!”
The 9th time, he wonders
if it amounts to
anything.
The 10th time, he will
ask his neighbor if
he has tried it.
The 11th time, he wonders
how the advertiser
makes it pay.
The 12th time, he things
it must be a good
thing
The 13th time, he things
it might be worth
something.
The 14th time, he remembers
that he wanted
such a thing for a long
time.
The 15th time, he is tantalized
because he
cannot afford to buy it.
The 16th time, he thinks
he will buy it someday.
The 17th time, he makes
a memorandum of it.
The 18th time, he swears
at his poverty.
The 19th time, he counts
his money carefully.
The 20th time he sees the
ad, he buys the
article or instructs his
wife to do so.
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See yourself anywhere in Smith's list?
Most people do. The list, as I said, was
written by a man named Thomas Smith of London,
but what I didn’t mention is that he
wrote it in 1885. It’s words still ring true
today and it’s a good commentary on what
is called “Share of Mind” in advertising.
It you have any doubt to it’s validity, think
about how many ads you’ve seen for McDonalds,
Coca-cola or Nike. None of these are targeted
to get the viewer to run out and take immediate
action.
Coke just wants you to buy Coke the next
time your in a market or at a restaurant.
McDonalds wants to be the first place you
think about when your hungry and want something
quick to eat. Nike wants to be your next
pair of sneakers.
Now for products that have a very broad market
appeal, like the ones mentioned above, TV
can be a great medium. Since, with a few
exceptions, everybody is in their target
market, they hit all of them at once. If
your like most entrepreneurs, your marketing
budget can’t spring for network TV. You
need to focus you advertising funds where
they have the best changes of entering the
minds of your target audience.
Find a method and medium that speaks to your
audience and you can get the
“Share of Mind”
of your Target Market!
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