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I wrote the following ad for next week's newspaper.

50% off WHAT custom frame moulding price?
25% off WHAT frame order price?

Off who's number?

Don’t compromise, service, quality,
design expertise, selection and competitive pricing.

Visit our frame shop!
Distinctive Frames, Unique Designs
Visit our gallery!
Internationally recognized artists

OR
Don’t compromise, service, quality,
design expertise, and selection for the perception of a better price. The important number is the bottom line.

Visit our frame shop!
Competitive prices, Distinctive Frames, Unique Designs
Visit our gallery!
Internationally recognized artists

OR

Visit our frame shop!
Service, Quality, Unique Designs, Distinctive Frames, and Competitive prices,

Visit our gallery!
Internationally recognized artists

Any suggestions?
------------------
Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.

[This message has been edited by ArtLady (edited December 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by ArtLady (edited December 27, 2000).]

 

Hey Timberwoman! Makes sense to me, but will it make sense to the general public? Especially those that may not seen the 25% and 50% ads from competitors. Let us know how it works out. P.S. You still haven't emailed me your address so I can send you a cross stitch! (susanmiktarian@msn.com)

 

You might want to add:

"THE BOTTOM LINE IS" for quality design.....


------------------
Jerome Feig CPF ISA
Field Art Studio
Pleasant Ridge, MI
248-399-1320
248-399-7018 fax

 

My business plan for 2001 is simple:

Face the fact that I am not good at advertising - solve this problem.

During 2000 I have asked many people about advertising and I have been told that it is easy. There are 3 steps:

1) Identify specific people that I want as customers.

2) Find an appropriate way to communicate with these specific people.

3) Use this way of communicating to give these specific people a reason to come to my store and do business with me.

Every person I talked to that has a successfull advertising plan in motion used these 3 steps.

 

Art Lady-
It's a good idea, but I have learned you really need to spell things out for people, while at the same time, not use too many words. How about something like:
"50% off the price of a bad frame job is still a bad frame job.
We won't compromise on quality"
or some such. There is no single answer.

 

OR how about "You want a cheap frame? Just how cheap do you want it to look ?"

 

I have a local frame company that advertises 50% off their frames. When I checked them out for a framing friend who was their competition, I found they charged for their moulding by the inch. When I multiplied the inch price times 12 and divided it by 2, their "sale" price was very close to my regular price. People will fall for any gimmick. Also, I looked at the samples they had framed on the wall. Worst looking stuff you could imagine.

 

I think I am trying to find a positive way to debunk the myth. Others have done it. I would like to put it out there to the public.


------------------
Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.

 

Trying to knock the competition, no matter how subtle is a BAD idea. The smartest thing you can do is ignore the competition and concentrate on building your own image thru clever advertising and delivering a good product.
Keep your ads as simple as you can. Try to catch their eye. Circles will catch their attention as will furry animals and of coarse subtle sex. A pretty face, back view nude etc. Remember, you have to try and get them to glance at your ad as it is being carried to the trash can.
John.

 

I agree with JRB. As hard as it is sometimes to NOT do it, ignore your competition when writing your ads. Concentrate on what YOU offer that "Harry's Half-off Framing" can't offer, QUALITY--just don't call "Harry" out by name. You certainly don't want any potential customers out there to think that Harry's shop is dictating how you run YOUR business. I myself have flirted with such ads in the past, I ulitmately decided that advertising MORE than my competition (and focusing on MY shop's strengths) was the best answer. If you do loose a few customers by such ads from "Harry" be thankful--they're most likely cheap customers that waste your time anyway. QUALITY does not come cheap, those who truly expect it- KNOW it.

I don't see Jaguar coming out with an economy car under 20k in 2001 and they seem to be doing okay.

 

"Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative."

Communicate what you do best, to the customers for whom you do it best. If that sounds easy, brace yourself.

 

Isn't "coarse subtle sex" an oxymoron? (Sorry for that: I just couldn't resist it: been a tough day.)

 

OK, my spelling sucks, I feel awfull. I knew I should have gone to school, but nooo, I wanted to work and have adventures. On the bright side though, I can "T" off English teachers without even trying.
Merps Mom, I hope you have a great new year and could you e mail me and let me know what oxymoron means.
John

 

Tsk, tsk, John. Would you like to be a member of the Word-A-Day club, which just this week gave us this very useful word, oxymoron? In my spare time, I'm an obnoxious wordsmith to my children and spouse, but generally do not point out follies of others as it violates all rules of grace and good manners. Coarse subtle sex, however, was just too good to ignore.

Can you tell I'm sick of framing for the moment? However, reading about it stills holds charm.

Happy New Year and good fortune to you, too.

Now I'll have to go back to SmileySchool as I did not wish Mr. Jumpy to appear so much as Mr.GreenGrin. Is it :d?

[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited December 30, 2000).]

Nope.

[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited December 30, 2000).]

 

Merps Mom,
Thanks for the laugh, your great.
John

 

How is this for advertising?

I saw a sign in a store that said ".20 cents each, four for $1". Guess how many people were buying bulk to get the "better" price? For the most part, customers don't read the add, they see a sign that implies a sale, and they spend money. They can't do the math! I don't understand why they could not see why .20 cents each was a better price than the 4 for a dollar.

We have a commercial in our area that says, "An educated consumer is our best customer!". My guess is they never saw how much those UNeducated consumers were spending.

How about a contest, you could give a discount to the first 10 people to find the mistakes in your ad. (There WILL be mistakes.)
Good O'l Sue

 

Well MM..I see you're up to your old tricks again...getting the thread WAY off track.

Personally I think you do well not to ignore it...weather it be coarse or subtle...but having said that must admit to never having done it with an oxymoron....was leather or flocking involved. Please fill in details or post pics.

Now...back to advertising.....

[This message has been edited by Terry Ellis (edited January 04, 2001).]

 

Ahem.....speaking of old tricks, the master of which who is. We'll let those dogs lie, now won't we?? But nice to see you're still thinking down in Underland: so ensuing age hasn't bothered you that much? (There I am, going off thread again. Age wasn't really the issue; it was dumb oxen, wasn't it?)

 

Now my dear adversary, I am the last one to be pedantic, but should that not be "the master of which is whom"?
And as long as I have my good looks, age does not bother me too much...but then how much is too much...

And at least I DID mention advertising in MY message

btw hope you had a good Xmas

[This message has been edited by Terry Ellis (edited January 07, 2001).]

 

Ah, Terry. It is your misfortune to contact this board late on a Sunday, after which I've finessed two (perhaps more?) great glasses of Merlot. If you are to employ any form of the verb "to be", you must use the nominative case thereafter. So....WHO is nominative, WHOM is objective. Since "is" is a form of the verb "to be", and it is used, use "who": it is the subject, not the object because of its relationship with its verb to be. Dear Gussy, I hate myself when it is necessary to set straight an esteemed colleague. But such falls to those who are chosen. (Would you like to diagram that sentence for proper construction? Thank Sister Claire Marie, Sophomore English. She was a babyfaced, whimple-girded killer.)

Apologies to all on this board for such.

 

Hi Artlady,

Whatever copy you decide to use, remember this:

Buying space at the right price is just as important as presenting the right message - maybe even more important.

The best product, offer and ad copy in the universe will not be able to overcome bad economics, and one way to achieve bad economics is to over-pay for media.

Make doubly sure that when you purchase media advertising that you are buying right.

if you don't already know, you should first figure out what you can profitably pay per lead/order and, thus what you can pay for space.

If a particular publication will not sell you space for the amount you can afford to profitably pay for, then no matter how clever you think your ad/copy is, no matter how badly you want to advertise in that publication, you must forgo it.