4 Advertising Myths Debunked

By Jillian Anderson | March 3, 2009

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There are multiple myths surrounding advertising (not to mention marketing as a whole) that rob good advertising of its worth and credibility in the minds of small business owners. Most of these illusions stem (of course) from cost. For instance, paying more for something does not necessarily make it better than the less expensive product. On the other hand, paying less for something does not make it a better deal. So what can you do?

I want to expose a few common myths that plague advertising and lead to sacrificed quality and wasted advertising dollars.

Mythological thought patterns to avoid:

1. Cheaper saves money.

“This agency offers the same service for less money…I’ll take it!”

You get what you pay for. Less money – maybe. Same service – most likely not. There’s a certain price you have to pay for quality, and further more, cheap (poor quality) advertising can actually cost you more in the end. It is still a good idea to balance and consider different options, but making a choice based on price alone is generally a mistake.

2. Doing it yourself saves money.

“I can just do my own ad placement. You know, I’ll even let the local television or radio station produce my spots to save money.”

This only works for a minuscule fraction of businesses. For most, though, it’s a bad idea. For example, I can’t count the times I’ve sat watching the Disney Channel or the CW (yeah, I admit it) only to see poorly produced commercials for a construction company or golf course. Hint: If your demographic doesn’t watch Hanna Montana or America’s Next Top Model, Disney and CW are just not your best bet – regardless of cost and frequency.

The benefits of working with an agency include their grasp of your target market and their established relationships with the media representatives, giving the agency more negotiated buying power. An agency is also able to develop strong media strategies and not just buy programming for the sake of buying. Agencies have a knowledge of all available programming and can get you the most ad strategy and placement value for your money.

3. All advertising is created equal.

“Advertising is advertising. So as long as long as I advertise, it should work. Right?”

No. The truth is: not all advertising is created equal. There is a lot of work and expertise that go into a good, effective ad or campaign. The message needs to be clear and targeted. It is essential that your demographic is clearly defined and understood before developing any sort of campaign or strategy, let alone start production.

The message and presentation are keys to a good ad – be it print, TV, radio or something online and interactive. Plus, certain mediums work better for certain campaigns. For example: if you’re selling something like clothes, then a medium that can offer a visual (TV, print, web) is more effective than just radio.

4. You don’t need advertising.

“I have no need for advertising.” or “Most of my customers are from referrals.”

There is no time to be anything less than the first business that customers think of when they need/want your type of product or service – especially in today’s intensely competitive market place. Your message needs to go to them, they don’t usually just come to you. Even if most of your current business is generated from referrals, advertising is necessary to put and keep you at the top of your customer’s mind so that they remember to refer you.

The spider looks for a merchant that doesn’t advertise so he can spin a web across his door and lead a life of undisturbed peace! ~Mark Twain

In short, you need to look for quality! Part of the reason these myths give advertising a bad name is that many business owners believe them (the myths) and are let down. When done right, though, and coupled with good customer service, your advertising and marketing should be more than able to pay for itself with increased reputation, new sales and more customers.

What do you think?

Tagged with Advertising, advertising budget, advertising myths, business, south dakota

Filed under Advertising, Marketing, Tips

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About the author
Jillian gets emotional over food, prefers baths to showers and still uses personal checks despite the Visa commercials. She is fascinated by the intricate elements of organic gardening, loves Truth, and says nice things only when she really means it. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.