Local Advertising Doesn’t Have to Be Bad

Yes, it appears the economy has indeed improved: Those awful local commercials are back on the air. You know the ones — “we’ve got a cute kid in the family, so let’s make him/her our spokesperson.” Even though that kid has nothing to do with the business. You can’t miss these local commercials. Your TV suddenly goes from lively, colorful commercials to one with muted colors, garbled sound, and perhaps the business owner’s grandchild shouting what is supposed to be a clever line.

 

This is not to say that every local business produces awful commercials. Some do just fine, outshining the others. The well-produced local commercials should be the example that all others follow.

 

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a television commercial snob. As such, I’m always embarrassed for our local television market when I see poorly produced ads during the late news. And quite frankly, I become a bit dismayed because I know the cost of the ad space. It’s not cheap.

 

So, why pay more for ad space than you are willing to spend on producing your commercial? A brand’s image is reflected in everything the company does — so be honorable to your brand. If you are selling cars, then I’m not sure that cartoon caricatures of political figures speak effectively to your audience.

 

Recent data from comScore ARS Research highlights the importance of advertising creative in building brand sales, stating that creative quality drives more than half of the sales changes for the brands analyzed. That’s four times higher than the impact of the specific media plan involved.

 

Anyone who understands marketing knows that the companies who have continued to advertise during the current recession will be the ones left standing after the recession. These savvy businesses are building market share — even winning it away from competitors that have reduced or eliminated advertising. So, kudos to you if you have remained consistent in your marketing and advertising efforts. And shame on you if you’ve done so with poor creative efforts and bad commercials.