Make 'em laugh, make 'em buy

What links a Mariachi band, paper airplanes, vaudeville, and influencer marketing?

I recently did a podcast with the highly respected copywriter Steve Harrison and creative director Dave Dye.

They’ve just launched a marvelous book about one of the advertising industry’s lesser-known geniuses Howard Gossage.

Lesser-known maybe, but a genius whose output was no less potent than the best that Madison Avenue had to offer in the 50s and 60s.

If you would like to know more in-depth about the man and his career, then I highly recommend you give the show a listen here:

Link to the podcast

If the podcast is TL:DL then read on.

If this email is TL:DR, know this one thing.

The mission of marketing – be it advertising, PR, digital, sales promotion, or anything else, is entertainment. And if you can’t engage customers or clients with something amusing, interesting, informative or enriching, then you’ve not done your job.

It’s easy to be a Good Time Charlie when things are looking up.

But when times are tough – the economy is depressed, budgets are shrinking and you’re doing a lot more work for a lot less pay, the person, company or brand that lifts your spirits is almost certainly going to be memorable.

Howard Gossage reminds us that people don’t like to be depressed. They like to know there’s a light at the end of a tunnel; to be able to influence the future.

That there’s hope.

That they can change things.

And you can lift their spirits. With a smile, with knowledge, with hope and good cheer, delivered in a compelling way.

Our mission in the marketing industry must always be first and foremost to tell stories that make people want to buy our client’s products.

Howard Gossage always used his ability as an entertainer first, to make an argument.

 I absolutely believe that we are in the entertainment business. Parting with money is always easier when there’s a little sugar with the medicine.

A little entertainment.

I’m willing to bet that if you built this approach into your new business, you’d get a lot more cut through that you’re currently getting.

Following up opportunities to talk with new prospects with an engaging opening line or an eye-catching think piece is bound to help you open doors.

Some free advice

For your next new business campaign, try dropping the jargonese, losing the acronyms and ditching the slogans.

Try thinking about who your customer is and what they want.

And then try giving them something to remember you by.

Here’s something you can remember me by.

The proposition

We built The Advertist because we’re deeply committed to the role that growth plays in creative communications – be it an advert, a PR campaign, a web site, an app - whatever.

As an agency grows, it should leverage its creative abilities to build better things; a more fulfilled team and a longer list of new business prospects.

None of our competitors are as committed to helping the entire British creative comms industry grow as we are.

They’re in it just for the money. There’s no giving back. There’s no reciprocity. Just pay up, shut up and move on; you’re part of the machine now.

In The Advertist, you have a small, dedicated team of people who love nothing more than going above and beyond to help your agency grow.

Because we understand that you need every advantage to get ahead.

To look in new sectors, with new ideas and opportunities. To inspire new prospects with innovations that help them to grow.

And we deliver, time and time again.

Of course, it doesn’t come free - no sacrifice for the greater good ever does. But we make it as painless as possible, with a super-low price and monthly payment options.

We’ll work with you because we know how the market is.

And when things are better, you’ll be in a stronger position.

Email me and use this line to earn a £400 discount off the annual price of £1600.

“Get Me The Advertist”

I’m just glad we didn’t go with “I’d like to sign up to The Advertist and discover how to grow my agency’s business”

Or we’d be giving it away.

Don’t forget to be entertaining and let the passion shine through!