Insights

The official, final and complete rules of advertising.

In our industry, rules are as pervasive as bad ads themselves. In fact, the least effective ads are often the results of the misapplication of rules. As sure as there is a new marketing book on the shelf, a new set of rules (and catch phrases) emerges, demanding from us that everything that has come before be thrown out.

It’s an appealing temptation to look for answers in the form of “rules” that promise a sure-fire method to solve your marketing problems. But too often, while many of these rules can and do work in some instances, they are not always applicable to every marketing situation. Unfortunately, most are based on a single case study. Not very scientific.

Take David Ogilvy’s classic book, “On Advertising.” The author pounded home such iron-clad rules as “never reverse-out type for a headline.” To be sure, there was a time when anyone reading that would have thought it would stand the test of time. Thankfully, creative rules die quickly. (What speaks more to the legacy of the great Mr. Ogilvy are the brilliant and timeless insights he had into human behavior and corporate culture. For example, he advised his agency’s management to hire people smarter than themselves in order to “become a company of giants.” Good rule.)

Marketing is a marriage of the rational and the emotional. It’s a tempestuous relationship. No rules can master it. But with the right amount of chemistry, the mixture leads to passionate work that yields real results. The only sure-fire formula is to use your brain, know what you are trying to accomplish and understand those you need to reach in order to be successful. You’ll be surprised at how often your gut instincts are the beginning of great advertising.

Just for fun, what are today’s advertising/marketing “rules” that will be tomorrow’s tomfoolery, shenanigans and ballyhoo?