Dred,
A lot of the syntax and imagery you created reminds me of the syntax and imagery from a competitor. That is another issue of advertisement which has to be avoided. You don't look good on many levels if your advertisements sound or look like the competition. The Internet generation wants everything free, and the competition is free, even if it is a deceptive hook to get around "pay to win".
Your assertions to the psychology of the current generation of gamers is sound. The competition's advertisements prove that. Also be careful where your seemingly unique ideas gestated out of. You may well have visited the competition, or suffered through their advertisements with the rest of us over the last few years.
Steal and modify is a standard concept in advertisement. Good ideas are good ideas. Sounding or looking like the competition other than the accepted stages to present the pitch upon is not. Unless you have a paradigm shift for the industry in your new product like the horseless carriage versus the buggy whip.
Yea I know its a bit long winded. apologies in advance and please bear with me to make my points.
I only on very rare occasion visit many other gaming sites to be polluted by their ads. and I dont watch a whole lot of TV lately. But I get what you are saying.
I dont claim my ideas are unique, The fact other games may have used that format certainly isnt unique. Nor was the style used in that AH commercial anything unique.
Storytelling in commercials is a quite common practice. You cant steal a common practice
https://www.google.com/#q=telling+a+story+in+a+commercial+buildingHere is one good one from that search
http://ontracktips.com/storytelling-business-building-chris-brogan/See. Nothing unique about storytelling
First let me say. My business is not AH. Two different animals. Im not looking to step on toes nor tell anyone how to run things. I am merely offering suggestions based on my experiences of what I find works and doesnt.
But there are certain things that translate to each other or businesses as a whole.
As an example. A Gaming companys "bug fixes" are basically the same idea as my "touch ups"
Sales far as Im concerned are sales. No matter if you are selling used cars or widgets. The principles for the most part remain the same. The idea is to get people to buy into your service or product.
Im basing my suggestions on 30+ years of having to by necessity sell myself as well as my business,the businesses and depts Ive had to work for, to other people,departments, and entities etc.
There are a few things Ive learned both through trial and error and sheer observation over the years that work well and others not as much and Ill try and break down the reasoning behind the suggestions I put forth.
Firstly neither of us have huge budgets for advertising. So you have to make the most with what you have.
Name recognition is a big big seller. Having a GREAT name helps (I have one Im told). But in advertising. One of the main reasons for name recognition isnt the commercials themselves. But how often you are inundated with it. For example Who doesnt hate those loud car dealership commercials we see and hear almost constantly? We all hate them but I bet you that most everyone here could name a few near you off the top of your head.
This works not because they are good commercials. (Most are annoying at best). But repetition. Because of the sheer number of times the commercial is aired and the viewer or listen is forced to experience it. You can only do this with a large advertising budget. In that instance almost any commercial will work. Whats that saying about getting people to believe something by saying it over and over again? Same principle.
Ok neither of us can go there. Ok so what works when you dont have sheer repetition on your side?
Well lets look at what we know people dont like.And what they do
First, While some can fall for it. Most people dont like or respond well to fast talk. Be it verbally or visually.
I find most people from millionaires to executives, to everyday working class shmo want to be talked to. Not talked at or fast talked. Now lets go back to that car commercial again. Often accompanied by different makes and models flashing by the screen. Annoying isnt it?
The flashing item works for places like the box home improvement stores and other commercials because your being told a story along with the description of what you are seeing that you can buy. Slightly less repetitious by every bit as effective "AHAH I can get that new chop saw and the floor trim at (insert box store name)" And definitely less annoying.
Still. A lot of that while less repetitious then the car dealer is still overly repetitious. Well we cant afford that either .
So what can we use?
People love to be told a story. Dont think so? Tell everyone to get rid of their TVs and swear never to go to the movies. good luck with that.
Ok now that we agree people love to be told stories we can move back to advertising.
Rather then flashcards, or flash video clips. Tell a story. People will remember it longer.
That car commercial. Do you remember what cars were shown? Probably not. "one was a truck, one was an SUV, One was a sedan. and a coupe others I dont remember." Right? But yo do remember through sheer repetition the name of that damn dealership!
Now what about the commercials you remember the commercial itself?. What do they have in common? They were entertaining and they all tell stories.
I tell stories by not talking at, or fast talking by saying I can do this that and the other thing yea yea yea. But by talking to people like people and telling them exactly what is going to happen and what they are going to get when I get to their home. I'll often use other often humorous stories of similar situations because they find it entertaining and lets the customer feel more at ease. Key word. "Entertaining"
If you can make a story entertaining, something they can follow. People will remember it.
Bet ya remember what kind of beer the most interesting man in the world drinks. And he makes drinking it..cool even if it tastes like crap.
Its the stories.
Flashclips "You can have this that the other thing yea yea" are too hard to follow. Especially if you are limited as to how often you can deliver them.
But you can follow a story line. Outside of pure repetition story line the most successful way to get people to remember. I get people that call me back sometimes 8-10 months later for something because they remember me telling them I a story about something or things I did for someone else. And have had others that couldnt remember the other things I listed I could do 2 days after me listing them.
Continued...
