The Tribune

MARKETING REVOLUTION

By D'ARCY RAHMING

MY son could recognise the Golden Arches of McDonald's from the time he was two. As a toddler, driving by a McDonald's would send him into a frenzy, as he eagerly anticipated munching on some fries while getting yet another toy. Even watching a McDonald's commercial on television created a disturbance in the household, as he begin to plot and plan as to how he would get his next Happy Meal. Such is the power of brand marketing.

Many businesses make the critical mistake of trying to copy the same type of advertising as that employed by a major company, such as McDonald's, while trying to develop their brand. They assume that with the right logo and some advertising, they will be noticed and remembered. To be sure, brand marketing - also called image marketing -does work if you have very deep pockets, or your product or service is already well known by your target market.

Bringing this reality home to some clients is often very difficult. First of all, their ego is tied up with their company. They are often disappointed when I tell them that brand marketing will rarely work for them because the public is inundated with over 3,500 marketing messages a day. These business owners want to see that logo out there as if it had some power to get people to purchase their products.

In fact, many business owners will spend a fortune on developing a logo, and spend less time and money on a marketing strategy. When I talk to them about targeting specific groups to generate leads, they argue that they want to get their name out there to as many people as possible.

The truth is that most business owners are basically wasting their advertising dollars if they think they are going be noticed in the clutter. Then, when the advertising does not have the effect they think it should, they often stop advertising or cut the budget. That is why 95 per cent of business owners fail within the first year, and even of those that survive, few will thrive.

So what type of advertising does work, then? What type of advertising will guarantee that a business makes an impression and that their message is heard by the right people? It is called direct response advertising. Direct response has several characteristics, including the ability to measure results, generate leads and get that attention and interest of the readers. In my next column, I will explain direct response marketing in greater detail.

NB: D'Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from the J. L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas (COB), he has clients in the general insurance, retail, health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly at darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com