Six weeks ago I wrote a post about advertising trends and my hope that everyone was about to have a good Fall Sales Season. This past week my wife and I traveled to Tucson, end of year medical appointments, visiting old neighbors, etc. Gas was 50 cents lower there than in Las Vegas. On Sunday morning I bought a copy of the Arizona Daily Star, THE Tucson newspaper.
It was gratifying to see so many hearing aid/audiology ads. I counted five separate ads ranging from 1 col. X 2 inches all the way up to one ad that was a full-color, two page ad. Most of the ads however, were in the 2 col. X 4 inch range. All of the ads were in full-color. The most expensive newspaper advertising possible is full-color in the Sunday paper so I guess people are doing well. Three offices were owned by Audiologists, one by a Dispenser and one did not specify.
One Audiology ad stressed service and qualifications and the one Dispenser ad stressed in-house repairs. Neither of these mentioned price or discounts. Readers of this blog know that I think that is the way to build a lasting business.) The two-page ad, which appeared to be a manufacturer-supported ad, offered a 15% discount and a $100. gift card. Another ad offered $1000 off their premium aids and another offered aids at $400/Analog, $800/Digital, and $1000/Digital Open Fit.
What was especially gratifying to me was the lack of any overt hard-sell or nuanced wording in any of these ads.
So what do these ads mean? Is business good or bad? Are people likely to be thinking more about their quality of life as the holidays approach? You probably know the answers better than I.
I was also struck by the fact that almost all of the ads did a good job of promoting their primary goal, whether it was low price, service, or professional qualifications. The one exception had this wording:
“Special Winter Event… Every Day in December… During our special event, you will receive a COMPLIMENTARY ANALYSIS of your hearing. Please make time to schedule this important screening… We look forward to being your hearing care provider… Special Pricing on All Hearing Aids For This Event… $1000. off* a pair of premium aids…”
There was more… but to me, these statements did not provide a continuity of thought.
We all want to say so many things in an ad in an effort to cover every reason why a client should seek us out. However, few offices can afford the cost of an ad large enough to be all things to all people. Even the two-page ad I mentioned above kept things pretty simple and provided a generous amount of white space so it didn’t look cluttered. When I did advertising I was always challenged to figure out what type of message I wanted to present and then follow the K.I.S.S. rule. My ads, whether TV, newspaper or direct mail said three basic things: I’m good, I’m here, Come see me. Life is complicated enough, so “Keep It Simple, Stupid.”
