A Loyal Reader takes issue with my statement that in the world of Direct Marketing, the two most important factors in the success of any campaign are:
The offer (the contents of the ‘commercial’)
and
The list (the people to whom the offer is being made).
More specifically, he objected to my declaration that the list is more important than the offer in determining a campaign’s success:
“A mediocre sales pitch delivered to the right list will far outperform a great sales pitch delivered to an inappropriate list.”
“How can a business person possibly try and target the right people? Wouldn’t it be better if he/she were to convince the people 100 percent of the way?
“If I only reached 10 percent of the people and convinced them 100 percent, that would be really good. If I reached 100 percent of the people and only convinced them 10 percent of the way, none of them would do business with me.
“I am speaking about radio commercials vs. Direct Mail, and I may be out of it here but I don’t see how the two are different. They both hope to accomplish the same results: ‘People frequenting their businesses.’ Therefore shouldn’t the message always be paramount?”
Actually, part of your statement argues my case:
“If I only reached 10 percent of the people and convinced them 100 percent, that would be really good. If I reached 100 percent of the people and only convince them 10 percent of the way, none of them would do business with me.”
If only 10% of your audience truly are prospective customers, it is much more effective to completely convince the right 10% than to partially convince the other (wrong) 90%.
As anyone who knows my work can guess, my bias is that both the commercial message and the manner in which it’s delivered are vitally important.
My reference to the Direct Marketing paradigm was intended to underscore this point:
The More Narrowly Targeted Your Sales Message, The More Important It Is To Identify That Target Audience As Quickly As Possible.
“If you have high blood pressure….”
“If you think you can’t afford automobile insurance…”
“If you are losing your hair and are upset about it….”
“How can a business person possibly try and target the right people?” One way is by matching its sales message to the station’s audience.
If you’re selling lipstick and makeup, don’t spend your money on a New Rock station. Meanwhile, a Soft AC station might not be the smartest place to advertise beer.
On the other hand, some mass appeal products can increase market share by advertising on incompatible formats (Classical and Country, Hip Hop and Easy Listening).
But a great offer made to the wrong audience is worthless:
* Advertising birth control pills to infertile women.
* Pitching homeowner’s insurance to the homeless.
* Trying to sell “the world’s best barbecued pork ribs” to Muslims or Orthodox Jews.
Why do you see self-service Flight Insurance machines only at airports? Why aren’t they on every street corner and in every shopping mall?
Because selling flight insurance is profitable only when the marketing efforts focus on those people most likely to consider buying.
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Correctamundo! Learned the 10%/100% rule long ago. After 51 years in radio I find one of my heroes, Vince Lombardi, was right;
DO THE BASICS AS PERFECTLY AS POSSIBLE…and the basics
haven’t changed…only technology!
Dan,
Your Loyal Reader was, of course, paraphrasing one of the truths that readers of Roy the Wizard (of which I also am one) have embraced in attempting to help advertisers understand the primacy of repetition over reach.
Many years ago a venerable radio sales trainer (who no longer walks among us) also taught the principle of what he called “bank shot” advertising. In theory, one could successfully advertise jeans or rock music albums on a Beautiful Music or Classical station, by talking to Grandma: “We know you have a hard time knowing what gifts your grandchildren really want. May we suggest a gift certificate that will allow your granddaughter to pick out a new pair of the most fashionable jeans, or your grandson to buy the latest album from his favorite band…”
Counter-intuitive, yes. But not off the charts.
Your examples seem extreme, probably deliberately so to make your point. But homeless folks are unlikely to be a prime target for any marketer, and while infertile women don’t need birth control pills, but they may well have friends who do. It’s that “realm of association” thing at play.
Still, unless a marketplace is so crowded that it makes more sense to prospect in unexpected places, the conservative approach involves targeting both by message and audience.
Always enjoy your discussions!