Where you are gathering from

In the dream world, you have researchers giving you jaw-dropping data about whatever you want. Needless to say, you can forget that. In the real world, it’s you, a pile of old product literature, some Websites, and a five-day deadline. But that’s fine. You’re a resourceful person, so you’ll rapidly uncover useful points that will help you create spellbinding ads.

Look through past company materials

This is the pile just mentioned, and it’s a tiptop source for product specifics. Cut and paste like crazy. Place “features” into one group, “specifications” into another, “company background” into yet another, etc. Put together similar items, and if that group gets large, it will be worth considering. You’ll think of a category name for it.

In short, you tear apart the old, examine it, and reconstruct it the right way.

Notable: There are content experts in your organization. Don’t ask them to tell you everything you need, because they are too busy and valuable for that. Rather, ask them if they have any documentation you can read. They will say, “Sure!” and pile you up.

History of past campaigns

Your company’s previous marketing campaigns will help you a lot. Dig into the files of every significant marketing effort that took place within the last couple of years. Also, talk with those who were there. You can even contact former employees, because everyone remembers how well a campaign performed. They will be happy to help you, and they can lead you through the minefields.

When you look at an old campaign, you’re interested in the main points. For examples: Who was getting it? What was the message? What was the outcome? Campaigns rise or fall for profound reasons, not small ones.

What are you looking for?

You want anything interesting. This includes stuff that is relevant to the...

• Product’s

• Value

• Features

• Benefits

• Market’s

• Needs

• Characteristics

Keep theorizing as you go

Don’t reserve your judgment until the end of the collecting process. Keep thinking about what ad to create (this is what you’re ultimately doing, by the way) as you sift through the piles of everythings. Modify your assessments as you learn more.

Understanding the ununderstandable

Let’s say you’re reading gobbledygook technical literature, and you have to get features and benefits out of it. If the text is in English (as opposed to chemical formulas, numeric tables or other confusifiers), there has to be

something you can glean.

• Go word by word if you must.

• Go into your online dictionary and look up words.

There’s always a process, and it’s usually logical. Here are two examples of procedures you can look for:

1. Something goes into the product. That something is changed. And

something else comes out.

2. The service they provide has a beginning, middle, and end to it.

You won’t figure everything out, but you’ll advance in the assignment. Then, when you talk with a content expert, you can say, “I learned the product does ABC. What I don’t get is XYZ. Could you explain XYZ to me?” It’s likely she’ll respond, “That’s a good question,” or, “We ask that question ourselves.” You arrived!

Also: When you learn many complex particulars, be happy. Few others will want to get as far as you.

Competitive materials

Your competition will give you a treasure trove of information, so invest a lot of time at their public Websites. To the smallest detail, you want to know what their product has and yours hasn’t, and vice versa. Put together side-by-side comparisons of features and benefits.

There is more in the “Competition” section on page 53. But right now, let’s talk about their public marketing materials. Review them, and you’ll start learning about what you should and shouldn’t advertise. It gets down to the basics: If the competing product has more standard features than yours, you won’t say, “We have the most standard features.”

Try out the product

Use it. You’ll add a new dimension to your thinking, and that could make all the difference.

Research

Embrace any advertising research you get, because you can learn a ton. It’s hard to say enough about the importance of research, since it can tell you all kinds of things that otherwise might never occur to you.

Statistics reveal the future

Statistics can be a tremendous help to you, because they clue you in on what is going to happen (maybe). Pay little attention to those who pay little attention to statistics. View the data and get the drift.

This means we need to look at data in big-picture ways.

• Example 1: There is not much difference between a 40% result and 50% result. For your purposes, they are about equal.

• Example 2: If the statistic says 10% of people do something, the real amount is probably not far off from that. Like, it’s not 80%. So, you know more than you did without the statistic.

Surveying surveys

You uncovered a survey. That’s cool, because it will tell you a lot! Now you can learn something. You should check out...

1. Who is giving the survey? That is least crucial.

2. Who is being surveyed? That is more crucial.

3. What are they surveyed about? That is most crucial.

1. Who is giving the survey? Don’t get sidelined by this. Thousands of studies are conducted by industry publications – not by independenttesting labs in Iowa. Most publication surveys are ultimately geared to

promote their magazine or Web-based information source, but be happy. Their reports are straightforward. Also, you’re examining narrow slices of your market, and there probably won’t be other free data. Also, their reports are 99% straightforward. You should learn the market’s...

• Characteristics

• Interest

• Trends in the market

• Trends

• Size

You can easily spot the questions put in to hype the publication. For example: “If you had a daily news e-mail that delivered immediate news about hot topics critical to your success, would you read it?” And 92% said yes!

2. Who is being surveyed is basic. You would like people who match your market’s profile, or have some relation to what you’re doing.

3. What they are surveyed about is what you care about! As long as the questions don’t raise their defenses, people will give introspective answers. And you’ll be clued in.

Judgment over research

Unfortunately, coworker Notman Agingit gloms onto data because it’s data. “It’s obvious what we should do,” he says. “Because the research tells us.” He turns his mind off and lets a study manage the campaign.

Don’t do this! The research data should only be your assistant. The real star is...(drum roll)...Your Insightful Mind.

What’s in your head is almost always best. For example, if your product is sold in extended care facilities, imagine being in an extended care facility. How would it be to live there? To work there? Rely on what you think up far more than what the research tells you. Read more on this in “The Jump-In method” on page 38.

It’s not easy to make your case

When you put the most trust in your insights (that’s what we did in the last subsection), some people won’t understand. And it can be a trialing experience.

Attorney: In your ad, why did you tell the market what you did?

You: It was a feeling I had.

Attorney: A feeling. So, none of your potential customers said this is what they wanted?

You: No one, no.

Attorney: Indeed, according to this focus group report, prospects were telling you something completely different from what you decided to do.

Isn’t that true?

You: Yes, but I didn’t think the people in the focus group were

expressing their true feelings. I still don’t.

Loud court murmur.

In short, your job isn’t to rubber stamp “OK” to what the research says. Factor that data into your perceptive decision.

Go with the odds, not the oddballs

Let’s say you’re assigned to market fabric to consumers, and you know little about cloth. You can at least think, “Lots more women will buy this fabric than men.” It’s beyond dispute.

Despite this, coworker Solex Ample says, “My Uncle Lircaw buys a lot of fabric, so I think we should market to men as well.” Hmph. Lex, your uncle is an exception, and you shouldn’t let his situation dominate

your judgment.

If Solex presses the issue, ask him this: “What do you think is the percentage of men who buy fabric?” Solex might respond, “I have no idea. Maybe we should do a study. Sol, there’s no time for that! The fact is: You’re paid to make strong assessments when you have scant information. So, please: Use some common sense now.

Above all, don’t let screwball opinions stop your progress. It’s serious. If you follow people who have zero marketing sense, the advertising will fail.

Market research vs. time

Performing lots of research can put you into a difficult situation, because three critical months are spent studying, and there are no responses (a.k.a. leads, replies, orders, inquiries) coming in. You can’t say

you have the answer because you don’t. Instead, you need to let the market begin telling you the answers. Learn more about this in

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