We often tell our marketing students that most advertising is a dicey proposition. Direct marketing is the exception. If you measure everything, you know exactly how well your advertising succeeds. But if you want a more detailed scoop on what works, we recommend you consider reading
‘What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds,” by Red Briggs and Greg Stuart. The book analyzes the effectiveness of five years and $ 1 billion worth of advertising campaigns from 36 top
national advertisers including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, and McDonald’s. As it turns out, many companies lack discipline in defining campaign objectives, which immediately clouds analysis of results. There is also fear of failure, which discourages metrics analysis. Of course, gut instinct still plays a valuable role, especially with the creative execution of advertising campaigns. You can read a more in-depth review from the folks at
Advertising Age (free registration required.)
Photo Credit: Ad Age
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