As soon as you Clarify your strategic thinking & basic media assumptions you can begin to improve your creative executions.

You want to run creative that drives response from Today's customers while it builds awareness and intent to try among Tomorrow's.  So...

BREAK THROUGH.
RING TRUE.
MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
BUILD BRAND IMAGE, TOO.

1. BREAK THROUGH.

Direct Response is supposed to be the most difficult genre of advertising to write and produce. That must be why most qwik-trik 1-800 WIDGET radio & TV ads look and sound the same: Low Budget, Impatient & Loud. 

"Oh, No! Tired of low response?
So-so response?? No response at all???
Get UpYourAds! The Amazing New Magic Wand Silver Bullet Creative Juicer!!
Call now - 407 895 3092!!!"

Then again, if you're trying to build a brand:

2. RING TRUE.

Direct Response advertising has to be believable.  Products that solve imaginary problems fail. The Clever & Wildly Creative techniques we'd use on a network TV spot for Coke or Chevy rarely work in DR.  Better to use Testimonials, Product Demos,  CEO from-the-heart, Program Host endorsements, and very good Announcer copy.  (I use Real People. Award-Winning ad agencies prefer paid talent.)

Long running response depends on how well you craft your Brand Promise.   A good strategy can survive a shoestring production budget. No amount of production or media money will save a bad idea.

Early response in 1-800 and Click-to radio, for example, can also be influenced by subtleties such as Personality Flighting and the Acceleration Rate in your category.  Even the timbre of an announcer's voice can influence calls & clicks, just as the tone of my voice on the phone will influence your decision to retain my services. (407) 895-3092.

3. MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!

It doesn't really matter if you like the ad.  It only matters if they do.  Even if you think Your Thing is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you still have to appeal to people who like bread. 

Radio is a good media for products and services that don't necessarily have to be seen. If you absolutely have to SHOW how your product works, looks or tastes: use TV, or send radio shoppers to a picture-rich landing page. Long copy local newspaper ads pave the way to national magazines.  Your creatives should be able to execute the same Brand Promise in every medium.  (Your web site is a medium!)

4. BUILD BRAND IMAGE, TOO.

Most Direct Response ads and commercials bludgeon people who need what you sell right now, today.  What about next week's Steam Heat market? Or next month's?   Add a smidgeon of Brand Image to your executions. Try not to look like every other 1-800 AMAZING widget TV spot or sound like every other wall-to-wall-copy radio spot.  Use Multiple Selling Propositions to appeal to a wide variety of emotions, mindsets and need states.

If your long-term strategy is to move into retail distribution, start building brand image and "ad recall" today.  When you sit down with the sharp pencil guys at Wal*Mart, it will help if they've already seen or heard your ads... and like 'em! 

If you get stuck on those DETAILS, you can call for help.  Use my cell phone - (407) 895-3092.

Or send me an email: peter@burkhardworks.com.