Category: eBulletin Columns

Don’t follow the crowd, follow the idea By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When advertisers say, “Make my ads stand out,” they’re usually thinking of big headlines and big logos. There are other ways. During my ad agency days, one of my accounts was a fumigant manufacturer. Their products were developed...

Understanding the stages of competence By John Foust, Advertising Trainer We all discuss information with other people, whether it’s with an advertising client, a prospect or a coworker. And because people have different levels of understanding, it’s easier to get in step with some than with others. According to the...

Where’s the beef in your newspaper advertising? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Wendy’s ran a series of TV commercials in the mid-1980s which featured actress Clara Peller, as she disapprovingly observed the size of the burgers in fast food places. I remember one which showed Clara and two of her...

Use the billboard effect for better ads By John Foust, Advertising Trainer A quick study of billboards can give us a better understanding of what works best in advertising. Because motorists are on the move, billboards have just a few seconds to be seen and read. It’s the same with...

Meet them where they are By John Foust, Advertising Trainer “Meet them where they are” is a popular phrase these days. It is defined as “a concept that emphasizes understanding and accepting individuals without judgment based on their current emotional, mental, or physical state.”The key word is “current.” We should...

The Thin Market’s impact on advertising By John Foust, Advertising Trainer The Thin Market is one of the best arguments for running ads consistently.If I were to ask if you are planning to buy a pair of shoes for yourself or someone in your family in the next year, you...

One way to get better information from advertisers By John Foust, Advertising Trainer You may have heard the old computer saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It means that the quality of input that goes into a system will determine the quality of the output. Good input equals good output and...

The big news about small advertisers By John Foust, Advertising Trainer A number of years ago, I shared a story about an ad manager named Jay, who talked about the financial impact of happy and unhappy customers. On average, a customer will tell nine to 12 people about a good...

When advertisers are concerned about the economy By John Foust, Advertising Trainer You may have heard the story about the man who spent a hot summer afternoon doing yard work. When he came inside, his little boy said, “Come on, Dad, let’s play!” The man was tired after all that...

There’s no such person as 'occupant' By John Foust, Advertising Trainer During my freshman year in college, one of my friends wrote a letter home to his parents and addressed it to “Occupants.” In my immature 18-year old brain, I thought that was a cool idea, so I addressed my...

What’s fogging your view? By John Foust, Greensboro, NC On our honeymoon, my wife and I went to Ogunquit, Maine, which we used as a home base to explore towns along Maine’s southern coast. Years before we met, we had each been to that area, but this was our first...

An important question: Does this make sense? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer As I write this, I have on my desk one of the most confusing ads I’ve ever seen. I saved it, because it’s an example of what not to do in an ad. It’s an ad for a...

One way to end presentations smoothly By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I used to have a small Zuma sailboat, which I trailered to a nearby lake in the summer. With its 13-foot length and one sail, it was relatively easy to rig and handle on the water.Interestingly, the most challenging...

Reliability means paying attention By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I remember a billboard on an interstate in North Carolina which caught my eye. It was large 14’ x 48’ painted sign which promoted a law firm. The headline read, “We help people hit by drunk drivers.” Below the headline was...

A lesson from Lockwood’s Folly By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I remember a conversation with Brent, a long-time print and digital advertiser. “I enjoy meeting with advertising sales people and hearing their ideas, but I always cringe when they show up from out of the blue with a spec ad...

Advertising lessons from a car wash By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Jerry used to be in the car wash business. One day he was feeling down when he got home after work. When his wife asked him what was wrong, he said, “There were five customers who complained today.”She asked,...

Brand loyalty is a powerful force By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Newscaster Edward R. Murrow once said, “To be persuasive, we must be believable. To be believable, we must be credible. To be credible, we must be truthful.” Although he was referring to the reporting of news, the same can...

Avoid jumping to conclusions By John Foust, Advertising Trainer There’s a story going around about a new CEO who was on a tour of one of the company’s facilities. As he was talking to the assembled group, he noticed a young fellow leaning against the wall. The CEO was angry...

Following through is the thing to do By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Want to see something funny? Just watch me trying to hit a golf ball out of a sand trap. You’ve never before seen such an ugly, unathletic, uncoordinated golf swing. The Scottish pioneers of the game would be...

I shot an ad into the air By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When I was a kid, my family went on a family vacation to the mountains of North Carolina. For a couple of nights, we stayed at a motel which had a play area with a few activities for...

Don’t ghost your clients By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Eric is an advertiser who has dealt with a number of media salespeople. “In all of my years of placing advertising, I have only one pet peeve,” he told me. “I don’t like it when salespeople ghost me.”Although “ghosting” is most...

Two things that will never change By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Luke told me about a business panel discussion in which he participated. He represented the ad department of the local newspaper, and others represented industries like banking, accounting, and various office services.The moderator asked each panelist to introduce themselves,...

“I don’t know” can be a great answer By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I remember talking about sales presentations with Edwin, who is the marketing director of a regional advertiser. “I’ve heard all kinds of presentations from media salespeople and I’ve asked plenty of questions during those conversations,” he said....