Even people in tribal Africa who have little else have huge satellites on their huts, as I saw
while visiting Africa. Television can never be under estimated as being a huge manipulator
of your mind and senses. It is a multi-billion dollar business. The television is now a
catalyst for your computer. This maxi-media platform is not going away and is actually
getting more enhanced. No doubt the television is the most effective way to advertise your
business.
Many entrepreneurs assume that television advertising is incredibly expensive and push it
aside as impossible. That is usually a mistake. A guerrilla marketer knows not to leave any
stone unturned. As a matter of fact, television is a lot more economical than you might
think. On the high side, a 30-second commercial could cost around $350,000, which
obviously would not work for most companies. Most Americans love to watch the Super
Bowl because of the commercials, which cost upwards of $2.5 million per 30-second slot.
They are fun and entertaining. But don’t panic. Smaller companies actually have an
advantage because of the fact that they are local or are a new start up that people are
interested in. Local television companies offer small companies 30-second slots for as little
as $1,000. It is worth educating yourself on how this form of advertising works.
Here are some resources you can use to purchase television spots:
www.gaebler.com/Television-Advertising-Costs.htm
www.cheap-tv-spots.com
www.lowcosttvads.com
www.televisionadvertising.com
The effectiveness of television advertising can be extremely rewarding and profitable if
done correctly. When watching commercials, it can be fun to try to figure out 1) Who is the
targeted audience, and 2) How do they convey an emotional connection so you get hooked?
The following commercial is an example of very effective advertising:
It started with music, similar to the Indiana Jones theme song, playing in the background.
Almost on cue, a good looking, fit and healthy man in his 50’s with grayish sideburns ran
through the jungle toward a huge drop off above a beautiful waterfall. He seemed like he
was being chased. There was no way around the huge drop off, so he had to leap onto a
giant Pothos vine and swing across the water to a lush vegetation side bank to safety. His
rugged friend then pulled up in a race car/jeep, complete with roll bars, and said, “Get in!”
They then tore off across the jungle and down a dirt road. The hero then cut a rope
connected to a bamboo peg on the ground with his knife as the car zoomed down the dirt
road. The two men in the jeep looked behind and saw a big, black net drop right in front of
three Ninja motorcyclists dressed in black, now blocked by the giant net. At that point, we
(the viewers) knew whom our hero had been running from, and we felt relieved. Our hero
had a big grin on his face while he reached for an ice cold Dr. Pepper soda in a blue can, and
said, ”This is my chosen drink. It’s not for women.” All in a days work. Now, I personally
don’t drink Dr. Pepper, but this commercial got my attention.
That commercial answered my question of who the targeted audience was: boomer men, of
course. My other question was answered by seeing the man as a rugged individualist, fit,
healthy and letting nothing stop him from getting what he believed in – the Dr. Pepper
(experience). The message is clearly that hard working, smart, fast individuals get the prize
in the end. This “Indiana Jones-like” commercial worked for several reasons. The number
one reason is that it was well planned out.
Before embarking on any maxi-media advertising, it is mandatory to get professional help
in carrying out this task. Your image is felt inside and out by everyone when you are in the
media. That’s why it is so important to be able to convey exactly the message you desire to
your audience. The appearance you project to the public media can help build your career
or brand, but it can also cause it to come crashing down. With one click of the button,
reputations are made and destroyed. That is why everyone, with no exceptions, needs a
media trainer. This relatively new industry is blossoming throughout the world since our
public images are now made instantaneous through social media. Media training teaches us
how to:
. Understand the rules of working with the Media
. Confidently interview for print, radio and television
. Get the headline you want
. Develop messages that have impact and are used
. Take control of an interview
. Spot and know how to avoid reporters’ tricks
. Sound and look your best on video and television
. Interview for online and social media
Some great sources for Media Training are the following:
www.Mediatrainingworldwide.com
www.Phillipsmediarelations.com
www.Mrmediatraining.com
www.Mediaworksgroup.com
www.Landispr.com
You can also perform your own Google search for media training to find trainers in your
area.
Another consideration when marketing to baby boomers is the Cohort Effect. The
definition is as follows, “A generational group, often referred to as a cohort, includes those
who share historical or social life experiences, the effects of which are relatively stable over
the course of their lives. These life experiences tend to distinguish one generation from
another (Jurkiewicz & Brown, 1998). A cohort develops a personality that influences a
person’s feelings toward authority and organizations, what they desire from work, and how
they plan to satisfy those desires (Kupperschmidt, 2000)” (Smola & Sutton, 2002, p. 364).
This information is key in determining how to market using the television platform.
As for commercials that appeal to baby boomers at various levels, smart guerrillas use the
television themes of ‘the good ole’ days. For most boomers, and even most generations for
that matter, we all romanticize about the innocent days of our childhood. We choose to
remember the most gentle, happy-go-lucky moments of our youth and the television
programs that accompanied that time. Remember the television show, The Real McCoys?
The title to this chapter is no mistake. People relate to this show, because most people want
to be known as “real.” That show was about simple, honest people and the daily (and
unusual) events in life. In that same genre are shows like Bonanza, The Walt Disney Show,
The Beverly Hillbillys, Bewitched, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Leave It To Beaver
and Andy of Mayberry. We all love the characters Barney 5, Aunt Bee and of course, Opie.
These shows resonate in every boomers heart, whether they admit it or not.
In your television commercials or other media, it might behoove you to have a theme from
one of those shows running in the background, or even a couple notes of a familiar jingle.
Please check on the usage of that for copyright issues. In a recent State Farm Insurance
commercial, the theme song from Cheers was playing in the background. State Farm must
have paid a pretty penny for the usage of that song. But, it is probably very effective and
worth the expense. The nostalgia drifts in the boomers emotions for simpler times. The
Cohort Effect is being used in action with the State Farm commercial.
The television is the best way to advertise your business. Just about everyone has cable or a
satellite to enhance his or her media reach worldwide. By combining media training from a
professional group with the Cohort Effect, your arsenal of guerrilla weapons will be super
charged. This takes study and follow through to achieve your desired results.
Sources: Smola, K.W., & Sutton, C.D. (2002). Generational differences: Revisiting generational work
values for the new millennium. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 363-382.
Next Chapter - Chapter 22: Cinema Advertising - Is It Worth It?
