Advertising Doesn't Work - Part One

Being in advertising, this is a comment I hear all the time. There are plenty of naysayers out there that believe that this 15 billion dollar industry is all for naught. The best way to answer the question as to whether advertising works or not would be to take a page out of Diane's book.

Advertising one time is like going on a diet for a day.

It won't work.

It is like exercising for a day, or spending one day learning how to play the guitar. It takes time, and 'hits', the more hits the better, for an ad to be absorbed.

At Creative Wonders we use a model called The Four As to help explain this phenomenon. We believe it takes at least two 'hits' in each of the As to move from having no knowledge of something, into taking action towards it.

The Four As

Awareness – occurs in the subconscious – this is where the seed of an idea grows in the mind out of nothing. We are probably not even aware we have absorbed this information.

- Your friend buys a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle and asks you if you have seen it. You think you have, but you are not sure. You are subconsciously aware of ‘something’.


Acknowledgement – is a conscious acknowledgement of the existence of something that was subconscious or fuzzy in your mind up to this point.

- For example:
- The next day, you see many Toyota Priuses driving down the road. They have always been around but now you are acknowledging them.


Acceptance – involves rational thought and trial. It is an acceptance that possibly there is some meaning and personal relevance in this information for you. This is a period of trial.

- Your friend tells you that a Prius is a good, fuel-efficient car that suits your lifestyle. You go to the store and test drive one.


Action – involves the process of buying – this is where you actually go to the store with the intention of making the purchase.

- You go into the car lot, look at the price, talk the purchase over with your spouse, and buy the car.


Of course there is also the other side of the coin. There are those who say 'advertising does not work on ME'. No one really likes to think that their mental environment is being hijacked by advertising, but I will show you how it is hard to avoid, no matter how resistant you may be, in tomorrow's post.

In the meantime, here is a great, imaginative ad by the same guys who make all those wild Nike ads - Honda Civic - Choir this version may work better this is what a Honda feels like

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