Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1939

Advertising industries had long holding the cards in consumers’ decision making. Marketers are realizing that offering more copy, complexity, and more information – isn’t working like it once did. With estimates that the average American sees anywhere from 250 to several thousand ads or marketing messages every day, there’s simply no way to keep pace if your strategy is to be ‘bigger and louder’. Instead, brands need to think strategically about how to stand out among the clutter. Apple is my favorite example of simplicity in marketing. Take their Mac versus PC ads: 2 guys just standing and talking, set against a white background. No lengthy list of product features, no mention of price, no professional voice actors with emotional voice-overs, or even information on how to buy a Mac. Each ad aims to make one point, and one point only: one way in which Macs are better than PCs.