A while ago, I wrote this piece entitled How to ensure your advertising gets noticed.

In essence, the article pointed out that ads that promise to solve problems get more attention.

Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? But if that’s the case, why do so few advertising agencies bear this in mind when producing advertising?

Why do they create print ads with headlines like ‘Who knows what might happen next.’ (Volkswagen; yes, it should have a question mark) or ads with headlines like ‘7:45’ (Onurair)?

Volkswagen ad. The headline may as well read ‘Who cares what happens next?’

And why do so many ads run without headlines at all?

The answer’s pretty simple.

In general advertising, it’s very difficult to monitor what is and isn’t getting noticed. So general advertisers run advertising they like – and that’s the end of the story.

Because of things like the economy, changing consumers preferences, package designs, competitor activity and hundreds of other factors, they can’t connect the dots between the adverts and product sales. So wasteful adverts continue to run.

Onurair ad. The headline ‘Daytime flights, nighttime prices’ would have gained attention. ‘7:45’ does not.

There’s really only one way to avoid such a situation. And that’s to work with people who have worked in direct response advertising.

In direct response, everything is tracked. Direct adverts ask people to buy things immediately. Each advert has a unique code that must be quoted on purchase, so advertisers know when adverts work

Direct response advertisers know what does and doesn’t get noticed. And they know what does and doesn’t boost sales.

They know that headlines increase readership. They know that surprising, news-based and curiosity invoking headlines increase readership further, and they know ads that promise to solve problems make sales. They know ignoring such principles will soon leave them out of a job.

After working in direct response, advertisers can create general advertising that gets noticed – even when results cannot be tracked.

That’s why David Ogilvy, one the most successful advertisers ever, believed every ad-person should spend two years in direct response before being allowed to work on general advertising. And it’s how you can ensure your advertising gets noticed.

Simply by working with people who have worked in direct response.

Clearly, I wouldn’t be able to write this piece if I hadn’t worked in direct response. And even more clearly, I’d like to work with you.

Because if you’re reading this, you probably have an interest in running advertising that works. Is that the case?

If so, contact me now. There’s a good chance you and I will get on.