Burkhard Works: Logical Analysis Leading to a Leap of Faith.


Logical Analysis Leading to a Leap of Faith

Kapow! What a great ad! What was it for?
It is possible for a brilliantly executed advertising campaign to succeed by force of its own unique, compelling personality, without reference to any particular strategy or brand promise. It is also rare.

Now Hear This! It far more likely that a solid marketing communications strategy will succeed in the marketplace, even if the ads are indifferently executed.

Solid Strategy, Well-Executed, Cannot Fail.

A good marketing communications strategy is always derived from two fundamental truths of human nature:

I. People Only Buy Things They Are Aware Of.

People are only aware of things they pay attention to. People only pay attention to things that are relevant to their needs, wants, and desires. They tune out everything else.

II. All purchase Decisions are Driven by Emotions and then Rationalized with Facts.

Emotions are irrational. They are mixtures of love, hate, hope & fear. Fear is often the strongest.

Facts include objective truths, demonstrable qualities & performance, perceived popularity, price, terms & conditions, etc.

The purpose of a communications strategy is to select the emotions and facts that will give Your Thing the most leverage in the consumer's mind.

The purpose of the advertising itself is to present those emotions and facts to your prospects in a manner that is most relevant and attention-getting.

The Strategy page of my Free Planning for ROI in Radio.xls, poses Seven Easy Questions.

Your succinct answers lead to a single Brand Promise that should guide all executions in all media. Radio, TV, email-blasts...web sites.

This page illustrates the Q&A process, using my own Communications Strategy as an example. There are links to helpful articles on this site along the way.

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Well,maybe...

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Peter A Burkhard (407) 895 3092


1. Who Do You Want? Who would you like to do business with? Talk about your prospects as Human Beings rather than members of some statistical group or media audience. Target Audience Demographics are a separate issue.	My best prospects are entrepreneurial or corporate decision-makers who have ambitious goals and the wherewithal to achieve them. They know a lot about their customers. They know something about advertising. They may know nothing about Radio. Who are your prospects? Personality Flighting
2. What Do They Want? What are the problems, needs, wants, or desires that Your Thing satisfies? What has happened in their lives to create an EMOTIONAL ANGUISH you can soothe? Are there any predictable Trigger Events that propel them into your category?	They want to increase sales, and realize that Radio is less expensive than TV or newspaper, but often they don't know How Radio Really Works. Some don't understand the lingo bandied about by station reps & ad agency suits. Many have tried Radio on their own and have been bitterly disappointed. What do your prospects want? Steam Heat Reflection The Ditka Principle
3. Why Are You Different? What are the one or two the truly Unique Features of your product or service? Ignore generic features offered by everyone. Is low price your only calling card? Really? Perhaps you solve a problem that lots of people have with your competition?	I am the only person in America who writes, produces, sometimes voices, plans, buys, and tracks the results of network radio advertising. Why are you different? Problem Detection Research
4. So What? Put #2 and #3 together. How do your Unique Differences benefit your customers? Ignore points of difference that don't solve real customer problems. Your logo is blue. So What? Focus on how you Relieve The Pain in a way that The Other Guys cannot!	My single source of Radio creative and media expertise saves time and makes money faster than following the Conventional Wisdom prized by the Competition. I produce much better commercials than radio reps and write better media plans than most agencies. I avoid the expensive errors & redos that occur when agency specialists fail to communicate with each other. Your unique difference means… USP v MSP
5. What are the main "Yeah, buts…?" What are the most Common Objections you get from people who consider your brand but decide not to buy? Maybe your TMs get the same excuses over and over? Your advertising must try to defuse those knee-jerk objections, including the most common one: "I've never heard of you."	Many potential radio advertisers are reluctant to act because they don't know where to start, what to say, or how much it will cost. Your prospects are frightened of… Brand Resistance Survey
6. What Are The Other Guys Doing? Who are your closest competitors? How many advertise on radio already? What do they say? Any stand outs? All copy-cats? What does the public know about your category? People understand soda pop, cars, and health food supplements. They know very little about tax law.	My closest competitors are local radio stations and ad agencies. Station reps try to sell too much air; agency media departments often buy too little. Reps write bullet point copy; agencies run TV sound tracks or clever skits. Most clients know very little about how radio works in the ear of a stranger or how to translate today's results into tomorrow's buy. What do your prospects know...or think they know? Think Like a Seagull.
7. Who's Counting What? How you will objectively measure the Immediate Results of the advertising? On your way to your Year I Target Revenue goals surely you'll track media dollars and gross impressions. Will you also tally up calls, clicks, store visits, incremental bar code sales?	I want decision-makers to read a few pages on my website then email or call me at (407) 895-3092 for my Free Planning for ROI.xls. When they've finished the Strategy, Media Demographics, Budget, and Radio Test pages, I want them to send it back, with an approved Budget. You may want 1-800 calls to your in-house phone bank from 9a to 7p EST. Web inquiries might go to a special landing page. Prospects can visit your dealerships at [ADDRESSES]. Safeway shoppers can find your brand in the Canned Vegetables section... Free Planning for ROI.xls
BRAND PROMISE Now boil down all of the above into a SINGLE SENTENCE. Address your prospect, identify his or her needs and desires, state how your differences deliver benefits that are unavailable from your main competitors, and tackle one or two main objections. This is NOT COPY. It's more like a contract between you and your prospects. Every ad you run should deliver your Brand Promise.	If you're a decision-maker who has decided to increase regional or national sales using Radio Advertising, my expertise in strategy, creative, media planning, and response tracking can give you faster, more profitable results than any local radio station rep or any ad agency staffed by specialists who usually have career agendas other than your own. Who Am I? The Radio Show The Basics of Direct Response Radio Advanced Concepts
That wasn't so hard, was it? You can go through the same process for your own brand, can't you? Of course, you'll also need to define your Target Audience media demographics, set some Year I Target Revenue Goals, and schedule a live test. That might take all of 20 minutes using my Free Planning for ROI.xls. Get one. Without a Budget & a Deadline There Is No Reality. Only Wishful Thinking.