Burkhard's Laws of Human Behavior

I. Without a Budget and a Deadline there is no Reality.

Advertising is not free, nor does it begin without an up front commitment of your Time & Money.

Media dollars should be a comfortable, budgeted percentage of incremental revenues. Strategy, planning, creative & production dollars are start-up costs that you'll amortize over time.

Free Advice is like Free Lunch. No one will give you enough of either to live on for long.

II. Only Two people can say "Yes!" to an ad.

One is the Client who signs the check. The other is the Customer who buys the product. Everyone in between can only say, "No!"

If the Client who signs the check personally likes the ads, they run once. If the customers like them, and buy the product, the ads may run again.

Ad Agencies, not unreasonably, endeavor to ensure that the ads run at least once. Mine run often.

III. People play by their own Rules.

The more you insist that people play by your rules, the more likely they are to walk away from the Game.

P&G's version of this law is, "Do not violate established habits and practices." If housewives do the laundry on Tuesday, don't try to sell them the best Wednesday detergent on earth.

To apply this rule to your own affairs, try to reduce the complexity of your ads, lists of bullet points, web site navigation, and other Corporate Barriers to Entry.

In a word: KISS.

IV. There Are No Unique Situations.

Everyone says they have a Unique Situation. Everyone's Unique Situation is exactly the same: Not enough people agree with You.

Your options are to sell more stuff to people who do agree with you, get new people, or change your mind. The latter is more profitable but usually occurs only after the first two have failed.

V. V > P > C.

Perceived Value must be greater than Price, or there is No Sale.
Price must be greater than Cost, or there is No Company.

Ignore this Rule at your peril.

Bear in mind, also, that creating Perceived Value is a Cost for which people are willing to pay a Price. Spend something on Production.

VI. There is No Minor League in Advertising.

Just because you've never done this before doesn't mean you get any price breaks on Media, Production, or Creative. What's worse, you get no sympathy breaks from the general public.

Total strangers will compare your First Ad Ever to the work of your better-heeled competitors and judge your brand accordingly. (See Law V.) The good news is that no consumers will ever base their purchase decision on the size or prestige of your ad agency.

VII. All Purchase Decisions are Driven by Emotions, and then
Rationalized with Facts.

Normal Humans say, "I like it! I really need one! I wonder if it works?"

Or, "I can't stand this problem! I really need a solution. I wonder if this thing works?"

No one says, "After a careful review of the relevant data facts, I conclude that this product is effective. Some day in the future, I may need this thing. At that point in time I shall surely like it."

If your advertising leads with an appeal to your prospects' emotional needs, they'll probably like you, too. Eventually they'll decide they need you. Then they'll read the fine print. You won't need too many Facts to close the deal.

Ignore this Rule and you will waste oodles of media dollars running Bullet Point advertising that most people will ignore.

VIII. Advertising Cannot Increase Demand for Anything.

Advertising can only increase brand preference.

At any point in time, there are a finite number of people who are Active Shoppers in your category. They can buy your Thing, or The Other Guy's. They can live with the problem you solve, or they can opt for your solution. That you exist does not create demand or expand the size of your market.

See The Steam Principle for more on this phenomenon.

Corporate Advertisers spend oodles on Creative designed to stick in people's brains. They run media flights that coincide with the Purchase Cycles in their categories.

Retailers and Direct Response advertisers usually spend next to nothing on Brand Image and, often, much too much money on media - trying to bludgeon disinterested people into submission.

If you spend a little money on Image, you can spend a lot less on media.

IX. The Three Greatest Marketing Fallacies of All Time:

#1. Everyone thinks like Me!

#2. If I build it, They will come.

#3. My Competitor's Product is &#@!

The truth is, your competitor's product is good enough to keep him in business and his customers reasonably happy. Nobody cares a whit about your thing unless it does something useful for them.
And nobody else on earth thinks like you. Not even moi.


Nine Immutable Laws of Human Behavior, all Subject to Change without Notice. I. Without a Budget and a Deadline there is no Reality. Advertising is not free, nor does it begin without an up front commitment of your Time & Money. Media dollars should be a comfortable, budgeted percentage of incremental revenues. Strategy, planning, creative & production dollars are start-up costs that you'll amortize over time. Free Advice is like Free Lunch. No one will give you enough of either to live on for long. II. Only Two people can say "Yes!" to an ad. One is the Client who signs the check. The other is the Customer who buys the product. Everyone in between can only say, "No!" If the Client who signs the check personally likes the ads, they run once. If the customers like them, and buy the product, the ads may run again. Ad Agencies, not unreasonably, endeavor to ensure that the ads run at least once. Mine run often. III. People play by their own Rules. The more you insist that people play by your rules, the more likely they are to walk away from the Game. P&G's version of this law is, "Do not violate established habits and practices." If housewives do the laundry on Tuesday, don't try to sell them the best Wednesday detergent on earth. To apply this rule to your own affairs, try to reduce the complexity of your ads, lists of bullet points, web site navigation, and other Corporate Barriers to Entry. In a word: KISS. IV. There Are No Unique Situations. Everyone says they have a Unique Situation. Everyone's Unique Situation is exactly the same: Not enough people agree with You. Your options are to sell more stuff to people who do agree with you, get new people, or change your mind. The latter is more profitable but usually occurs only after the first two have failed. V. V > P > C. Perceived Value must be greater than Price, or there is No Sale. Price must be greater than Cost, or there is No Company. Ignore this Rule at your peril. Bear in mind, also, that creating Perceived Value is a Cost for which people are willing to pay a Price. Spend something on Production. VI. There is No Minor League in Advertising. Just because you've never done this before doesn't mean you get any price breaks on Media, Production, or Creative. What's worse, you get no sympathy breaks from the general public. Total strangers will compare your First Ad Ever to the work of your better-heeled competitors and judge your brand accordingly. (See Law V.) The good news is that no consumers will ever base their purchase decision on the size or prestige of your ad agency. VII. All Purchase Decisions are Driven by Emotions, and then Rationalized with Facts. Normal Humans say, "I like it! I really need one! I wonder if it works?" Or, "I can't stand this problem! I really need a solution. I wonder if this thing works?" No one says, "After a careful review of the relevant data facts, I conclude that this product is effective. Some day in the future, I may need this thing. At that point in time I shall surely like it." If your advertising leads with an appeal to your prospects' emotional needs, they'll probably like you, too. Eventually they'll decide they need you. Then they'll read the fine print. You won't need too many Facts to close the deal. Ignore this Rule and you will waste oodles of media dollars running Bullet Point advertising that most people will ignore. VIII. Advertising Cannot Increase Demand for Anything. Advertising can only increase brand preference. At any point in time, there are a finite number of people who are Active Shoppers in your category. They can buy your Thing, or The Other Guy's. They can live with the problem you solve, or they can opt for your solution. That you exist does not create demand or expand the size of your market. See The Steam Principle for more on this phenomenon. Corporate Advertisers spend oodles on Creative designed to stick in people's brains. They run media flights that coincide with the Purchase Cycles in their categories. Retailers and Direct Response advertisers usually spend next to nothing on Brand Image and, often, much too much money on media - trying to bludgeon disinterested people into submission. If you spend a little money on Image, you can spend a lot less on media. IX. The Three Greatest Marketing Fallacies of All Time: #1. Everyone thinks like Me! #2. If I build it, They will come. #3. My Competitor's Product is &#@! The truth is, your competitor's product is good enough to keep him in business and his customers reasonably happy. Nobody cares a whit about your thing unless it does something useful for them. And nobody else on earth thinks like you. Not even moi.