Clayton Makepeace of The Total Package posted about something that’s been on my mind lately. Do clever and creative TV commercials – the ones that get people’s attention and keep them talking for years – actually increase sales of the product they are promoting? In other words, do “good” commercials sell?
According to Clayton, the answer is no. And he backs up his claim by giving a real-life example of a Nissan commercial from the late ’90’s. You may remember it: The dashing action figure, GI Joe, escapes from the jaws of a dinosaur and rescues Barbie from a dull date with Ken by enticing her with his sporty Nissan. (You can watch the Nissan commercial here).
Entertaining? Yes. Memorable? Yes. But did it sell Nissans? Nope. In fact, Nissan sales plummeted. Their rival, Toyota, however, stuck with boring, customer benefit-focused commercials and their sales thrived. It wasn’t until Nissan pulled the commercial several months later that they were able to see their sales rebound.
And so Clayton says croaking frogs don’t sell beer (Budweiser) and Chihuahuas with a Mexican accent don’t sell tacos (Taco Bell). And I have one to add. Dancing lizards don’t sell vitamin water (SoBe).
I like lizards. And I grew up in the ’80’s, the era of Michael Jackson and “Thriller.” So the SoBe Life Water commercial that ran during the 2008 Super Bowl featuring lizards dancing to “Thriller” has been a recent favorite of mine. (You can watch the SoBe commercial here).
But when my 16-year old son picked up a SoBe drink at the supermarket the other day, I got to thinking. And I realized that as entertaining as that commercial was, it didn’t persuade me to buy SoBe. I didn’t drink SoBe before I saw the commercial and I never thought to try it after I saw the commercial, even after watching it numerous times.
So I headed over to the SoBe web site to see what they do – if anything – to convince people to try their products. Their web site consists of an opening Flash movie that’s cute and entertaining and fun. But where is the persuasion? The convincing? The benefits? Why should you or I or anyone else buy SoBe?
And so here lies the problem that plagues so many web sites: Like “good” commercials, they entertain, but they don’t sell.
Clayton Makepeace states that every ad (and yes, that includes web sites) should accomplish 4 essential missions:
- It must create a desire for your product by presenting the benefits it will bring into your customer’s life.
- It must convince your customer that the benefits obtained from your product are unique and not obtainable from competing products.
- It must leave your customer feeling that it is urgent to buy your product as soon as possible.
- It must compel your customer to action to purchase your product at the earliest opportunity.
Is your web site accomplishing these missions? If not, you’re probably losing sales.
Remember – it’s always about the customer.
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Viki, this post accomplished exactly what you are talking about. The way you presented your points converted me immediately into a fan. I also liked your references, especially the commercials. Very appropriate to your point. Keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to your next post!
David
Excellent post, Viki! This has held true as far back as the “plop, plop, fizz, fizz” Alka-Seltzer commercials which, if memory serves, actually proved to decrease sales. That campaign won advertising awards and has stuck in the memories of countless people for decades, yet it did nothing to improve sales. A shame.