I'm not sure why, but recently I've been paying extra attention to local Mom and Pop retailer ads. This includes tracking ads in and around Idaho as well as places I've been traveling to: So Cal, Chicago, Seattle. And upon paying extra attention, something has really started to bother me...
First, let's set the stage: If you're a local retailer (thereby receiving the name "Mom and Pop" by association), it's getting harder and harder to compete with national and regional brands: You can't afford to stay open as late, your inventory is smaller, you may be losing on price, and product quality is getting difficult to beat. In short, it's hard to be seen as a good value when you're a single store Mom and Pop.
To fight this, Mom and Pop advertising is getting louder and louder and includes more and more information. Added on top of this, mass media sales reps are directly approaching Mom and Pops more often since broadcast buys are decreasing due to larger advertisers moving money away from TV/radio and into web/pr.
Now, this isn't a mass media vs. new media post. It's about focus and product differentiation, the lack of which is bothering me.
On the larger stage, agencies spend an extraordinary amount of time working alongside clients to focus the messaging--identifying what's truly important to the consumer. But this doesn't take an army. Mom and Pops can do this too. And if they did, I think the marketing landscape would change and consumers would better understand their value. But, to the detriment of Mom and Pops, there's an apparent fear of focus. Consider this overview of a TV spot I saw last week for a local cell phone retailer...
Breakdown of :30 spot, according to my recall:
1. "Tired of searching the web for the best cell phone plan? (visual of stressed woman)
2. Stressed out and confused comparing endless stacks of rates? (visual of paperwork)
3. Need more time for yourself? (visual of person agreeing)
4. Then come down today to ____! (storefront--can't remember name)
5. Located in the ___ next to ____ (can't recall where)
6. Come in and compare rates and phones from T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and more (indoor shot)
7. If you come in now you can save ____% (big percent savings)
8. We're locally owned and operated since 19__. We care about service.
9. My name is ___. I own this place and I'll make sure you get treated right by our friendly sales people! (sales guy and owner)
10. Call _____ (big phone number) today. We're open from 9am - 6pm.
11. Don't wait, come in today!"
Sound familiar? Regardless of the business, we see advertising like this nearly every day, usually on cable.
But there was magic in that spot...it was point number 6.
A whole, huge store where I can compare all cell phone products and every rate plan?? And that's all they do?! Elaborate on the specifics of this please. Make the spot entirely about that. I can compare phones at places like Best Buy or a mall kiosk, but it's limited. This retailer offers a unique and valuable service, but it's been buried by the owner's name, an untrue set up, a sales guy 'introduction' and more. Does any of that really matter? We never meet Mr. Jobs in a Mac ad.
No matter the size of the business there's magic in everything. It's the job of the TV station sales exec, the manager of the retailer, whoever is in charge of the ad, to be honest and focus on what's the true reason for this business to, well, be in business. Leave the rest of the information to such things as directory 411, mapquest and in-store pop. If people want what's being sold they'll find out when it's open.
In marketing books the industry talks about focus (Al Ries reportedly has a great book on the subject). And in those books proven thinkers cite focused brands such as Nike and Hummer and Apple. The industry writes about itself as if only major advertisers can put forth the resources to do it. But no matter how small the business, everyone can focus.
If you're a TV station going direct to a Mom and Pop, spend 45 minutes just thinking about that business and eliminate from the communication what isn't necessary. No research is needed. Ask yourself, do you care who the employees are when you see a local furniture ad...?? Or is it about product uniqueness?
Even though a retailer may be a one-location store on the corner of Far Away and Close to Nothing, there's still magic there to convey. There was a reason the founder started it, and that was to fulfill and unfulfilled need. All companies start somewhere--it's up to everyone involved to convey its focused uniqueness.
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