Today’s adult consumer spends somewhere in the neighborhood of nine hours per day exposed to media of one kind or another. While watching television, listening to the radio, surfing the internet and playing games on their smart phone, individual consumers are subject to approximately 365 individual ads and as many as 5000 brand impressions during those nine hours.
A research study by Media Dynamics, Inc. concluded that this number has risen by about 7% every year since 1945. Yet, according to their research, the increase in media consumption has had little impact on the volume of information consumers actually retain.
What this means for the advertiser is, there is a lot of noise to rise above as well as a very small window of time in which to make an impression on already over-stimulated consumers. Literally, 30 to 60 seconds if you are using audio or video to convey your message and that is generous considering the widely accepted standard of eight seconds in the digital world.
Since there is clearly no time to waste, why would any advertiser use tired, old clichés in their branding? I am not referring to the oldies but goodies like: “Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Are Hatched” or “Better Late than Never” but marketing’s own brand of cliché like the ones John Pellegrini of radioadvertisingfacts.com lists as some of the most over used phrases in advertising. Expressions like: “Family Owned and Operated”, Friendly Professional Staff”, “Store wide Savings”, “Number One In Customer Service” and any of those figures of speech that consumers have heard so often they just tune them out.
Clichés are a great and useful part of conversational language because they are familiar and comfortable and they contain universal truths that have contributed to their longevity. However, clichés in advertising are not only a waste of precious space but they are predictable and predictability is the kiss of death in advertising.
When composing any marketing message, radiocopywriting.com suggests answering the following questions: “Why is this message for you (the listener) and why would paying attention to this message be important.” This approach allows your message to reach a specific audience member instead of throwing a broad net out over a general audience.
Example: If you are a business owner or manager looking to increase visibility, Manning Media’s experienced marketing staff can help you develop advertising campaigns that can be heard above all the noise. To contact us in Frederick, Call 301-620-7700 or in Hagerstown, Call 301-733-4500. You can also fill out our online request form by clicking HERE!
When is it OK to be Cliché?
