Adverts don't sell

Really, it’s a mistake to think that you can sell anything by simply advertising it.

You can hammer-in on the product’s unique selling proposition, and shoot the advert with Beyonce displaying the product. If it is such a useless and outdated product like a floppy disk or video cassette, it will not sell, at least not profitably.

Marketing is about envisaging and discovering customers’ needs and figuring out the best ways to meet them profitably. So the customer’s need, [which is an element of demand] comes first. Then the product which can meet that need comes into the picture.

People forget adverts as soon as they read them unless they happen to need the product at that time. Therefore, adverting is like offering a thirsty man a glass of cold water. The fourth or fifth glass of cold water will no longer be a temptation. He can ignore it. He is no longer thirsty.

So before you pump huge amount of money into advertising, make sure there is a demand [need + ability to buy] for it.

We once made this mistake too. My partner and I wanted people to know that we provide tasty barbecue at events. We put up a display advert, showcasing what we’ve got...

That advert did not work for some reasons. One of it is that the people in the region where we focused the advert did not need barbecue. They general could not afford hosting such parties where barbecue is served; beside they are mostly busy people.

So we had to change our strategy.

Lesson: Advertising is basically saying, “Hey, we’ve got what you are looking for.” And not “Hey, this is beautiful, efficient, and cheap. Would you buy?”