Company Blog
Is it working?
by Adam Zack — August 17, 2016
Doofus
I was sitting on the beach, reading San Diego Magazine (which is one of my favorites for what’s going on in the local restaurant and food scene) and just enjoying the day. I had just started the magazine, unwrapped my crusty ciabatta roast beef sandwich and flipped a page when out flew one of those subscription cards, which the breeze promptly took and blew about 5 yards out of my reach. I set down the magazine and my sandwich, hefted my 195 pounds out of my beach chair and retrieved the wayward card, not even looking at it. I sat back down, pulled my sandwich back out and started back on my magazine. Not 10 pages later another one of those subscription cards escaped as I turned a page. Perhaps not seeing the fate of its brother 10 pages before, it caught the wind and made it 10 yards. More sandwich setting and hefting out of the chair for me. Re-establishing my position, this time slightly irritated, I thought that there would be no more than two of those cards in a magazine. After all, who ever sends those things in? Anyone?? Not wanting to be the doof that has to get up a third time for the same task, I turned the magazine sideways and shook it. Sure enough, a third subscription card emerged. Holy crap, if they publish almost 50,000 magazines a month they print 150,000 subscription cards how much does it cost in printing and postage? Do they work or is it just something that is done because “that’s how we always have done it.”
I think that’s what we need to ask ourselves in our advertising and marketing: Is it working? Do people read the ad I insert in the Advo or Red Plum mailer? Are they looking at my ROP ad? Do they respond to direct mailers and radio ads? If not, how can I get them to? The great retailers look at the medium and the method annually at a minimum. They monitor the results, query customers and elicit feedback from employees. And they make changes and updates regularly. Sure your wholesaler produces an ad that’s super low cost and qualifies you for ad allowances and discount pricing, but is it working? Is it a reflection of you and what you want to be, or is it one of those subscription cards that just blows away?
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