Alex Woodruff Biz Buzz

Try me kids, buy me parents. The conative part of the AIDA process involves motivating people to buy. With some buying processes it’s hard work convincing people they’re about to invest their money in a good buy. So what you do is place the product right in front of them. In fact in some markets [...]

Many marketeers are baffled by the things their target audiences remember from their advertising. I once worked on a food ad where everyone remembered that the woman in the kitchen licked her finger (an attempt by us to add appetite appeal). Probably because some people think too much about hygiene. Sadly they remembered nothing about [...]

On the last but one MBA course, participants were keen to emphasise the fact that England was not taking part in the European Championship finals (funny, nobody mentioned it on the last course after Germany’s poor showing). The critics liked the latest posters for Lucky Strike, rubbing in the English absence. It certainly plays to [...]

I see the always campaign from the States has now overspilled to the UK. MTV watchers are now being reminded every 5 minutes to “have a happy period”. Now I’m not one to judge how it must feel, as a woman, to be told to get on with life or, as is the case, actually [...]

Indeed what does interest car drivers? Probably a question they ask themselves a lot at Ford. Of course we need to ask which car drivers. The old sexist joke is that some women are more interested in the colour of the car than what’s under the bonnet. Unlike ‘real’ men – who drive a hunky [...]

How far can product testimonials go? The credit card from Usher? Beef steaks from Donald Trump? Yes, it’s true. Save me. Product managers will try anything these days.

The Action part of AIDA is important when it comes to finally getting someone to do something (ie, buy). One approach is to let people try the product for themselves. Like test driving a car (by which time advertising for awareness and gaining interest should be under the bridge). Try me. Break me… This product [...]

One sure-fire way to capture interest is to hijack it from somewhere else. This falls into an area of advertising where you do a spoof or pastiche of an established campaign or concept. If you do it well your audience will smile and go with you. And Interest very quickly becomes Desire. If you do [...]

Thanks again to an MBA for this example of a beer brand getting into the carnival spirit, thus riding on current events to attract interest. He tells me he saw the poster on business – OK, I’ll believe him, as I like the play on words (to non-speakers of German, “alaaf” is what revellers cry [...]

In a market where a loyal customer counts as someone who buys your product 4 times a year (washing powders), it’s always difficult to keep people interested. Let’s face it: nobody spends their whole day thinking about washing powder. Especially in the summer, lots of Mums and Dads are on holiday or away, out and [...]