Visible Results News - Article

NEW IS EVERYTHING, HOW TO PLAY THE NON-TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING CARD EFFECTIVELY - February 2005 - Marketing, Philippines

They say that the Philippines is the land of the bandwagon. Rather than risk being the first in any venture, most Filipinos will adopt a wait-and-see attitude, moving only once they see others trying it first. In fact, this is largely the explanation for the continued gradual rise of non-traditional advertising budgets in marketing departments across RP. Ironically, this attitude has created a tremendous opportunity for companies looking for a tactic to put them at top of mind. Conventional advertising theory has been that it is the quality of the design and the creativeness of an ad that generates the recall companies are looking for. While it is true to a certain extent, great non-traditional advertising proposes an entirely different strategy. Be the First Regular exposure to the unusual makes it ordinary.

If you want to make a big impact, you have to be the first company to expose a new tactic to the market. It means sacrificing the safety of the bandwagon approach and going where no company has yet to venture. There are always new places to look. Here are two areas where ads have yet to go: public bathroom mirrors and the blacktop portion of the street, which is ironic considering we are guaranteed that eyeballs will be fixed on both. Studies have shown conclusively that the companies getting by far the most impact out of their non-traditional advertising are those who use the tactic first. Own It If you are investing money on a brand new strategy, don't be half hearted, make it as widespread as you possibly can. Milk every centavo out of its newness. If you only limit your exposure to one location, you open the door for competitors to copy your strategy in others.

The only question remaining is: How you figure out what a good non-trad strategy looks like? What's Wrong with this Picture? Visualize this: If you saw a car with a bright red paint job, you might notice it but it probably wouldn't stay at the top of your mind for very long. If, on the other hand, you saw a car whose TIRES were bright red, most likely you would look twice and might even comment about it to your lunch date.

Non-traditional advertising works best when it violates those unspoken rules of normality we have set in our minds. It creates a stir by its presence and generates recall for whatever brand is associated with it. Light, Motion, Scent and Sound. The human brain is wired to notice differences. Affecting any of the senses will trigger a reaction causing the subject to momentarily orient on that which is different. A non-advertising example: when walking down a sidewalk on a hot day, a shop's door opens and you receive a brief airconditioned blast. Most people will impulsively look inside the door where the breeze came from. The same goes for unusual sounds smells, motion or lights. Just be sure that the unusual sensation leads the subject to the advertising message and does not distract them from it.

Look for linger points. Always try to find places where consumers will be waiting, preferably ones where they have little else to do. Some grocery stores have experimented with putting televisions in their aisles for a little light sound and motion action. Unfortunately, most customers are busy shopping and can't be bothered to pause and watch.

A better tactic probably should have been to mount monitors over the cashiers so that those lingering in the checkout lines would have something to look at while waiting. Find a fresh but reliable supplier There are a number of nontraditional advertising suppliers in the country, if they are any good, they will have a stock of "never been done in RP" strategies for you to capitalize on. Some of the older suppliers have started out fresh but have since focused on established tactics. The trick is to find someone reliable but young enough in the industry to still hunt for innovative new ideas.

Here are some good ones: RS Concepts: The undisputed masters of unusual signage, RS pioneered the first video boards, the first holographic signage, bus advertising, scent machines, instant free standing signage and many other tactics that have gone on to be industry standards. A darling of the multinationals, RS's CEO and creative head Russ Alfonso has made rapid progress in other southeast Asian countries with techniques perfected in RP.Their new products are so top secret, you will have to call them personally to get a demo. (RS Concepts may be reached at tel. nos. 637-8060 or 637-7845, or visit www.non-trad.com) Rail Media Systems: A new company designed to fully optimize a captured market: LRT commuters. Their new ad straps are already creating quite a stir.

A great place to place ads because the limited permitted exposure prevents ad clutter. (For details, contact Rail Media Systems Chair Horacio Alfonso at tel. nos. 848-0896 to 97.) Pacific Air Media Corp: That's Airships or blimps! Just entered into the country, these flying billboards have been kept very hush hush to maximize the visual impact when they hit the skies. While the price for these is a little steep, can you imagine the impact? (To learn more, contact Pacific Airmedia Corp. President Reginald Yu at tel. nos. 716-8604 to 05.)

Innov8: A new company by marketing wizard Joel Arguelles, Innov8 has brought in the mother of all loyalty cards. These thermal cards are the first rewritable loyalty cards, capable of showing instant updates, promos, points to perk-hungry consumers. The distinctive silver color makes this card instantly recognizable and will probably become the standard within the next five years.

(For inquiries and details, contact Managing Director Joel Arguelles at tel. nos.723-8798 or 724-5056, or visit www.innov8marketing.net)