I don't know why, but I love TV commercials. And while my favorites portray people as having some crazy glitch, today I'm talking about those ads for products you've never heard of that solve some problem.
One of them sells a hearing amplifier that looks like a Bluetooth headset (so the wearer doesn't have to deal with the shame of wearing a hearing aid – of course, now this person simply looks rude, as in, "Hey, I'm too important to miss a call, and if this thing rings, our conversation is OVER.").
Another of the commercials hawks an implement that redirects those unsightly bra straps (the ground-breaking technology for this product dates back to the first Cub Scout scarf clasp).
What's the common thread in these ads? They give you a price – not $100, not $60, not even $59, but just $19.95! Then, as if to apologize for making it so expensive, they come up with a reward. In the hearing amp offer, they doubled the quantity – TWO embarrassing ear thingamajigs for $19.95! For the bra strap/scout tie clasp, they actually TRIPLED the offer.
It's a shame that, in the 21st century, there are still those simple souls that do a double take at these cheaply made ads, proclaiming, "Honey, fetch the credit card and the Elvis phone, this offer ain't gonna last long." But the message is something ominous that we in the ad business can learn from. By touting the product as exclusive, then dropping the price by 50 to 75 percent for no apparent reason, advertisers create the perception that the product isn't worth what it "normally" sells for. Worse, the price is so low, the potential buyer goes from thinking the product is worth trying to concluding there is obviously something wrong with it. A hearing aid for 10 bucks?
Before you label me naive, I know these ads still work. Perhaps you and I know the item is junk. Yet, some company will sell 10 freight containers of buy-one-get-one-free hearing aids. Darned tootin', they will. The product will go to suckers and those poor elderly folks in search of the fountain of youth.
But I'm guessing you sell something more legitimate, and possibly have a reputation to worry about. So please, don't go for the price drop, and never begin an incentive offer with the words, "But wait!"
Instead, show why your product, service or company offers a better value than competing brands. Help the economy both nationally and personally. If done well, you should see better margins and, equally important, you will be able to face that reflection in the mirror each morning.
