The purpose of advertising is NOT exposure

by Michael Cage on April 28, 2004

I like Roy Williams and I actually like most of this article. But something not said needs to be cleared up. Not for the article’s sake, but for the sake of small business owners who all too often buy into one of the worst myths about advertising.

High rent accomplishes the same thing as advertising. It gives you exposure.

Exposure is what advertising DOES, but it is NOT how we evaluate success. The purpose of advertising in a small business is NOT exposure. It is to generate a measurable response that advances a sale. Period.

If I buy an ad in the Wall Street Journal and get no new customers, it matters not how much “exposure” I received.

If I buy an ad in the Wall Street Journal and get congratulated on how professional it looks but I get no new customers, it still sucks and exposure is still meaningless.

A hefty amount of bull circulating about image and brand and marketing only exists because most businesses aren’t tracking response. They simply don’t know any better. A better situation for ad sales reps, to be sure. Also better for the “creative” ad firm reps who know how to be “creative” but not how to sell. Much worse for the business.

I find it endlessly entertaining that a “big company” advertisement winning awards has little or nothing to do with results. Instead they are handed out as a sort of insider’s secret handshake of self-congratulatory puff. “Oh, look at how brilliant we are. The soul of the brand of the company was so powerfully communicated by the sparkly blue snowflakes.” My, oh my, the businesses that would no longer exist were they held accountable for results! Off with their heads! grin

Thanks to Todd at A Penny For… for the link.

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Tagged as: marketing

  • I disagree as well. Advertising has “communication goals” that need to be accomplished before any sales are made. Such communication goals vary, but can be such things as building trust, gaining exposure. I think of the continuum as: Exposure leads to Familiarity. Familiarity leads to Trust. Trust leads to Trial. Trial satisfaction leads to repeat purchase. People are more fearful of a loss more than a gain so exposure builds familiarity which can soften the fear of loss because the brand is “a player, trusted, other people must think it’s ok”. yada yada.

  • absolutely correct. you advertise for sales in the end. Nothing else

  • Anonymous

    I think your argument is overly simplistic. In our view, saying “The purpose of advertising is to make a sale” is like saying, “The purpose of life is to eat.” Advertising is only one of several activities that “make a sale”, and it is far better to have communication goals rather than sales goals tied directly to the advertising, except in the case of direct marketing or sales promotion.

  • Anonymous

    Michael: you are right on. The purpose of advertising is to make the cash register sing. Exposure, Repetition, and Targeting are simply tools used to make it happen effectively.

  • Anonymous
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  • Anonymous

    I disagree with you.

    The 3 basic principles of advertising are as follows:


    EXPOSURE


    REPETITION


    TARGETING


    If you do not have exposure, how will people know who you are and what you have to offer.


    The importance of advertising is so that people will call you before your competition. 


    Exposure gives you “Top of Mind Awareness”.  Many large companies; Eastern Airlines, Pan Am et al had lost their edge and along came newer airlines, who took an aggressive ad campaign, and before long, the new carriers had top of mind awareness and were called on before the larger companies.


    Read Sergio Zyman who wrote the end of advertising as we know it.  In the book he quotes how companies like Coca Cola never had any fears because they were on top of the world in the soft drink business. Coca Cola shrugged and laughed when bottled water was first introduced.  Very quickly, the other cola was on top.


    Advertising is exposure.  The more you advertise, the better known you are - big or small company. The best known company is the most used.  Let’s see - do you remember the “Marlboro Man”?

  • Anonymous

    i would like more in depth information on purpose and function of advertising. Ur argument is good, possibly not completely right, but ur ideas and much more would be apreciated.

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