A good ad makes one point and one point only.
For example, if you have great rates, huge selection, and convenient hours; that’s at least three different ads. One ad for each thing. (Not that I would recommend wasting your ad dollars saying those things. These are just illustrative.)
To try and make more than one point in an ad is foolhardy.
Why?
Because it’s asking too much from your listener.
As the delightful and talented Chris Maddock likes to say – and I paraphrase – picture a mother of three sitting in her Volvo in the drive through at McDonalds. Her kids are yelling. The baby’s spitting up. Fries are being thrown at the back of her head. And then your ad comes on the radio.
This is not an unrealistic landscape.
Of everything going on in this mom’s world, how many things do you want to add to her mental plate?
One. At most.
So, to keep your ads on track, ask yourself; once I’ve gotten someone’s attention, what one thing do I want them to take away?
And then drive that one thing home.
– Zac Smith, VC
