Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Media Spike # 42 – Ladies & Gentlemen Mr. ELTON JOHN
A vibrant welcome as we dive into today’s message.

A keyboard of fireworks

As explosive as a hair-triggered fireworks display, legendary performer Mr. Elton John (aka- Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was the epitome of flamboyance.

Outrageous glasses and costumes. Sometimes funny, always colourful and an electrifying stage presence, he commanded attention…but when he began to play- he COMMANDED INTEREST.

For all his attention getting stunts and visuals, he had the musical chops to back-up his stage presence with enormous singing, songwriter and piano playing talents.

He was an ad for HIMSELF everywhere he went.

Love him or hate him for his music, his relationships, his style, you can’t help but marvel at his consistency of entertainment and talent to satisfy audiences again, and again and again from the 1970’s to the present.

My question to you is simply- Why aren’t you doing the same thing?

What? Hey Dennis- I’m no rock star?  I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those outlandish outfits and besides I can’t play piano like Elton.

You’re absolutely right….and I can’t either.

However, that doesn’t mean your ads should be bland and lost in the crowd.
They should be distinctive. Have a recognizable signature of yours on them. Maintain continuity from ad to ad, media to media, year to year, so that your branding is always consistent.

Not unlike Mr. Elton, it can’t hurt you to freshen up your look or add more SKU’s (Stock Keeping Units) to your portfolio. Maybe not a new recording, but a new product or new service each month, or model year etc., to show your audience that you are still in there pitching.

Remember to change your headline frequently to see how well it’s working and track what responses you’re generating. Much as you are interested in developing and sustaining a great image, your ads should be designed and implemented for SALES.

Try this: Invest $100,000 in your salesman.
Send him (her) out there for two months to call on as many people as he can in a day.Perhaps at an aggressive pace of 8 -10 appointments per week, he makes about 60-80 client
meetings in 2 months.  At the end of two months, he reports:

• I’ve made no sales
• Although many people like me
• They liked how I looked- said I was a good image for the company
• I took 10 of those people out to lunch
• 12 others asked me to call them back next month

You’d wonder – probably out loud- why you’re paying this salesman $100,000 to not generate any sales.

Think of your advertising like that. $100,000 spent in any or all media is a lot of money. You’re expecting your salesman to represent you and close the sale. Why would you expect any less of your advertising?

After all, as we witnessed back in Media Spike #10- Advertising is Salesmanship in Print. If you expect your sales rep to make a sale, why not expect the same from your ad?

It should be driving to a sale. Or be an integral part of a sales strategy.  Spending $100,000 on Image to look good and deliver no new business is a very tough return on investment.

Do your ads have to be as Over the Top as Sir Elton?  Probably not.  But they do have to show you’ve got the quality, consistently from month to month, year to year- like Mr. Elton, to get audiences coming back for more.

If you’re going to invest in your company by telling everyone what you do, THEN TELL EVERYONE WHAT YOU DO.  You need not be as flamboyant as some showmen- but you do need to make yourself memorable. So memorable, that your audience want to buy from you, again and again and again.

Stay tuned,

Dennis Kelly
dennis@firstimpressionsmedia.ca

P.S. In his career to date, Mr. –Sir Elton John- has sold more than 300 Million records and won numerous awards, accolades and fans in a career spanning over 40 years and counting. He’s doing many things right.

"Like to learn more? Nine Secrets of How To Improve Your Advertising and How To Actually Make Your Ads Outperform Your Competition  is not for everyone.  It’s for smart marketers who want proven tips to make their ads work harder and smarter.

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- Dennis Kelly
About Me
Dennis Kelly
 
 
A professional to his fingertips, Dennis Kelly of First Impressions Media brings a deft touch as your media magician. Extracting incremental media value for you from suppliers is second nature for Dennis. His versatility in all media is bred of 3 decades of hands-on media planning & buying experience in the media trenches. As a steward of your media budget, Dennis excels in delivering smart, efficient, creative and targeted campaigns to showcase your creative to the right audience.

Dennis is the author of “ 9 Secrets of How To Improve Your Advertising” and is available to Masthead Reader for $197 through a special offer at this link
 
 
 
Most Recent Blog Comment
Dennis Kelly says:
Thank you Gloria. What a perfectly apropos link. Thank you for sharing that. You are quite correct. ...
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