Advertising Offers Solutions Through Careful Planning
Memphis Business Journal
To many businesses, advertising is a four-letter word that describes a love/hate relationship. Rx for Advertising is a prescription written specifically for the average businessman who needs to advertise, but really doesn't know how to go about it.
In the easy-to-read book, Bruneau, a Spokane-based creative consultant, offers a comprehensive guide to the world of advertising, covering everything from positioning to printers, budgeting to billboards, creativity to conventions, logos and signage. Separate chapters are provided on buying newspaper, radio and television advertising.
"Before you advertise, think about your business. How do you want your public to think about you in five years?" Bruneau writes.
This concept is most commonly talked about in the advertising industry as positioning.
The next step is to create an advertising budget to reach the position you have targeted in your market. To help determine the amount of a budget, a chart is included showing how scores of different businesses use a percentage of gross sales to pay for advertising.
Then Bruneau examines the in-house/out-house dilemma: the choice of using in-house talent or working with an outside agency.
"Get the best professionals you can to work on your advertising and you'll hedge the success of your investment," he says in support of outside agencies.
How do you find an agency that is creative, but has balanced marketing ability, a good track record with other clients, and doesn't overcharge for its services?
Don't let your fingers do the walking, Bruneau says. Instead, he offers a plan for shopping for an agency to fit the particular need of a business.
In choosing the best way to compensate an agency, Bruneau leans toward cost-plus with a bonus based upon reaching your sales objectives.
The advice in the book should be particularly useful for the entrepreneur.