Clients Always Get the Advertising They Deserve

Numerous books have been and are being written every day about branding. How to build brands, deliver them, and support them successfully. For a brand to be truly established, it must be something that can deliver on its promise to its customers. To bring a brand to life, an agency must understand the client, its company, products or services, and its customers’ past, present, and futures. The agency must also have a strong relationship with its client. There’s an old agency saying that “clients usually get the advertising they deserve,” meaning that clients with a solid long-term view will generally get better advertising than the client that insists on short-term results without building a solid foundation. Any agency veteran will tell you this is true.

A defined, long-term approach is vital. It is important to find a brand position then defend it position vigorously. If you have a defined position, your customers will seek you out and be loyal to you if they agree with that position. You are not going to be the answer for everyone or appeal to everyone, no matter what your product or service is. Companies that try to do this get frustrated and fail. Therefore, you have to find a position that is appropriate for you, your product, your service, your beliefs, and, most importantly, what you can deliver. Then you must build that position and defend it vigorously to deliver a consistent, effective message.

In its simplest form, advertising is a paid message. Compare it to public relations: PR is getting someone else to say something good about you, although you can’t control when or where – or if – they will actually do it. Advertising is saying exactly what you want to say to the audience you want, when and how often you want to say it. The only downside is that you have to pay for it!

In the end, advertising isn’t so much creating a brand or position, or even selling a message. Typically, it depends more on uncovering or discovering the message that exists within the company, its product or what it can live up to. In terms of creating a brand that people will remember, the key word is “memorable.” That is why so many of the best ads are ones that touch you, either in a humorous way or in a poignant way, but they really make you feel something, and make you remember it.