Blog

It's that time of year again.

As the calendar year winds down, countries across the country are evaluating (and re-evaluating) their projected ad expenditures for the new year. And in light of an anything-goes economic climate, those budgets will be under more scrutiny than ever.

So, what can you do to make sure your ads are being all they can be {{pardon the shameless appropriation from the U.S. Army}}?

First, keep in mind the Golden Rule of advertising: the goal of any ad campaign -- whether on radio or TV, or in print -- is not to sell a product or service.

Whether used in print or online, designing an ad is all about one thing: delivering a message that drives a prospect to become a customer.

Most companies change their ad designs over time to reach new and changing audiences. As your company's profile changes, your market matures, and your product offerings grow, your advertising and marketing efforts should evolve to suit your needs.

You know that your audience has a finite amount of attention, so you want to make it worth their while to give you some of it. To that end, it's important that your message be succinct and simple.

With the prevalence of email, text messaging and IMs, it seems hard to imagine that conventional mail (a.k.a., "snail mail") could be an important marketing vehicle. And yet, millions of dollars are spent by companies each year to create direct marketing pieces that deliver an experience right to your door.

How do you know if you should reach out and touch someone in their mailbox? Just ask yourself three questions:

Walking down the aisles of your local supermarket, you've probably seen all the product packaging promoting the benefits of organic food. Everywhere we look, we’re taught that organic food is healthier, more nutritious, and free of chemical substances when compared to conventional foods. Some products even claim to protect consumers from cancer-causing pesticides. (I’ll take those in bulk, please!)

So is organic food truly a miracle? An escape from all our processed and genetically-altered products?

Here’s a question confronting our latest crop of graduates: is the value of education worth its cost? It depends on who you ask.

With a four-year degree at a private college averaging $100,000 many college students graduate with thousands of dollars in debt, and often no job in sight. College loans and credit cards are making it easier to look past the expensive costs of tuition, books, and room and board, and the costs pile up quickly.

So is college worth the cost?