Spread the Good News
Am I the only person out there who’s growing weary of all the bad economic news?
I believe recession fatigue is about to set in…..and that can be a good thing.
Eventually we’ll start looking for the silver lining in all of those clouds and things will get brighter.
It may already be happening. I couldn’t help but notice two commercials last week that jumped out at me with their refreshing perspective.
The first one wasDaytona Beach Harley Davidson, in Daytona Beach, Florida, talked about how aging boomers are growing tired of seeing their mutual funds shrinking and are opting to invest in their life-long dream, a new Harley Davidson.
The Harley dealer, Bruce Rossmeyer, was proudly proclaiming they sold a whopping 44 bikes a day during Daytona Bike Week! A world record! Two things captured my attention;
1.) Good news jumped out among all of the doom and gloom. I welcomed it.
2) Bruce talked about relevant economic issues, like shrinking mutual funds, and gave them a positive spin I could relate to.
As I returned home to Ontario, Canada, I was struck by another commercial for a hot tub store in Barrie. The owner announced having his biggest sales month ever in February. He validated his claim by suggesting that consumers are choosing to ‘cocoon’or spend more time at home. He said they are investing in home leisure activities and increasing the value of their home with his hot tubs.
Your clients are always looking for a way to make their ads stand out, and these ‘good news’ ads really do stand out.
Those of you who have been receiving our ENS on Sales, know that I’m not a fan of discounting our product to make a sale. I am, however, in favor of discounting as a service to our audiences.
We’ve all heard clients and consumers complain about all of the bad news in the media. Your commercials are part of your media content. Bankruptcy sales, desperation clearances and other ‘bad economy’ sales strategies are part of that bad news noise.
Why not offer a ‘good news discount’ for every advertiser who can legitimately shine a positive light on their business in this economy?
Can you imagine the impact if every commercial island had a commercial talking about record sales and why it makes sense to buy in this economy?
My proposed good news discount makes sense for a number of reasons;
1.) The advertisers who are already enjoying sales increases are your best prospects.
2.) Business owners who hear about these successes will reassess their own plight and begin advertising more aggressively.
3.) Audiences will come to realize and appreciate that it’s not all bad news out there.
4.) Your good news advertisers will have a timely, topical and relevant hook to make their message stand out.
5.) Business owners will appreciate your drive to introduce good economic news to your community.
If you like our idea of a good news advertiser discount, I recommend applying three rules for campaigns to qualify;
1.) They must mention sales increases or record sales, and tell the truth.
2.) They must mention WHY people are choosing to buy from them in this economy.
3.) They must have a call to action to keep their sales on the incline.
Give it a try, and send us the good news you uncover.
P.S. If you can talk your news room into airing regular good economic news features, I’ll bet there are sponsors who’d love to jump on board!