The Secret Sauce of A Household Name

Hey, you. Yeah, you. Could you grab me a Kleenex? My allergies are acting up. Thanks. Excuse me for one moment.—-------------------------Now, you may be thinking, "What kind of introduction is that?" or "Why do I need to know about this person's allergies? "But bear with me. I promise it'll all make sense in a minute. You see, when I asked for a Kleenex, you probably didn't think twice about it. You probably thought of the rectangular tissue boxes you buy during allergy season. That's because Kleenex is a household name. Over time, Kleenex has become so synonymous with tissues that we often use it as a generic term. Like Band-aid or Scotch Tape, Kleenex has become part of our everyday vernacular. In other words, although there are plenty of other great brands, we consider certain brands the best in their class. While Band-aids, Kleenex, and Scotch Tape are household products, the same principle applies to any product or service. Think about fast food, for example. When you hear the word McDonald's, what comes to mind? Chances are, you think of a few things: convenience, low prices, and (undeniably) consistent food. McDonald's, of course, is one of many fast-food chains that offer these services. The same goes for cars, beauty products, or any other product or service. As a result of their excellent reputations, people tend to think first of some brands and models. And while your small business might not have the marketing budget of Kleenex, you can still learn from their success. With the right marketing strategies at your disposal, you, too, could become a household name. And we are ready to help.

What Makes a Brand a Household Name?

A household name is a brand widely recognized and remembered by the general public. In other words, they have successfully established themselves as a reliable source for whatever product or service they offer. So, what is the secret sauce of a household name? A brand becomes a household name after successfully establishing itself as a trusted and recognizable entity. This means having a clear and consistent message across all channels. It also means ensuring that the branding is visible and memorable. Repeated advertising is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal. It is also essential to have a product or service that people can trust. This means providing quality items or services that meet customer expectations. People who are happy with their purchase are more likely to return and recommend the company to others. A household name cannot be built without a loyal customer base. The best way to do this is by creating a reputation for being trusted and responsive to customer needs. This means creating repeat customers who will continue to do business with the company for many years. At Wizard of Ads™, we build household names through resilient advertising that stands the test of time. With the help of our expert copywriters, we can help you create ads that resonate with your audience for good. To learn more about how you can become a household name, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.

“Linear, no-threshold thinking.”

Have you ever wondered why some brands become household names while others disappear into obscurity? It all comes down to how they think about advertising. Linear, no-threshold thinking assumes that every statistic is scalable. For example, if a product has a 97 percent satisfaction rate, it must sell like hotcakes, right? Wrong. In the real world, statistics like these are often meaningless. The problem with linear thinking is that it doesn't consider the human element. More is needed to have a great product. It would be best if you also had a great ad strategy that resonates with your target audience. Think about it this way: your audience won't know about your product or service if they don't see your ads. Now for those of you who are thinking, “My brand is well-known, so I don’t need to worry about this,” think again. If you already have a prominent brand, congratulations! But don't stop there. Minimizing your marketing dollars can be the difference between a successful company and one that scrapes by.

Continuous Advertising of Household Brands

Even the most prominent household brand names need to advertise continuously to stay top-of-mind with consumers. After all, there are always new products and services competing for attention. That's why you see Pepsi ads on TV, billboards, and just about everywhere else you look. They want to ensure that you think of them when you're thirsty. The same is true for other brands like Tide, Nike, Ford, Amazon, Apple, and more. Advertising keeps them at the top of consumers' minds, so they're the first choice when it's time to buy. Don't believe me? Let's allude to 2010 when Pepsi canceled all its television and Superbowl advertising to focus on social media marketing. While they gained many new followers, Pepsi's market share dropped by 5 percent in the following year. It doesn't seem like a lot. That 5 percent drop in market share equated to a loss between 50 and 100 million dollars. What's more, Pepsi dropped from the second best-selling soft drink in the USA to third. Here is what American entrepreneur Bob Hoffman had to say about their decision: “What we often confuse is the use of digital media with its power as a marketing or advertising entity. The fact that more people are using online for news is not de facto proof that it’s a good advertising medium. Let me give you an example of that: the old-fashioned telephone. Everyone in the world had a telephone. It was a hugely popular means of communication. That didn’t make it a good advertising medium. It was a lousy advertising medium.” Like the telephone, the popularity of online media doesn’t make it a suitable advertising medium. Plenty of other mediums are better suited for advertising, such as television, radio, and print media. Ad writers, however, are drawn to online media because it’s measurable. They don’t care that 65% of internet traffic is bots and all sorts of people click on their ads that aren’t leads. They’re just super happy to see all those ‘impressions’. This is particularly true of social media, constantly evolving and introducing new features. But why is offline media still so damn effective for advertising, despite the allure of online media? Although frustrating, there are reasons household names like McDonald's, Pepsi, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Nike continue to advertise offline. It works. And for considerably less than your digital spend.

Why Are Advertisers Frustrated With Their TV and Radio Campaigns?

There are several reasons why advertisers are frustrated with their TV and radio campaigns. While these offline mediums can reach a large audience, they supply minimal measurable results in terms of customer engagement. Moreover, viewers and listeners typically have no way to interact with the ad beyond simply watching or listening. However, television and radio campaigns have repetition with the listeners that, when done correctly, is highly effective. In other words, when we hear a great message multiple times in a set period, the message will start to make its way from short-term memory to long-term memory. This is because hearing something new, interesting, and different repeatedly creates an anchor between the sound and long-term retention in our brains. Remember the jingle you used to sing as a kid for your favorite cereal brand? Your ABCs. The Friends or Seinfeld intro music. Are you loving it? Just do it. That's the awesome power of sound at work! It is common to see marketers generate long-term success regarding television and radio advertisements. Even if the listener doesn’t require your product or service, repeating your message will position you for future sales.

The Secret Sauce: Crossing the Repetition Threshold in Ads

Of course, only some ad mediums are equally effective at reaching the repetition threshold. While digital media is a terrific source for fulfilling demand (lead gen), radio and television ads create specific demand for your brand. An advertiser needs to understand the importance of generating demand for their brand. This ensures that customers always think about them first even when they aren't actively searching for the thing they sell. That is the key to becoming a household name. Think about it like this: Done correctly, TV and Radio win the heart’s preference, then patiently wait for the customer to be ready to buy. Digital media waits for the customer to be actively looking to buy, then tries to win their preference. While having a robust digital presence is important, mass media advertising is the best way to create demand. Through effective repetition, TV and radio can actually achieve household name status.

Repetition in Credibility

Credibility is critical when it comes to effective advertising. To achieve brand credibility, businesses need to have a consistent brand presence. This can be achieved through repetition in TV and/or radio advertising. Businesses can build trust with their audience by having a consistent brand presence. This trust is essential to convert leads into customers. Think about it – if you saw an ad for a new product once, would you believe it? If you noticed that ad multiple times, you would think that the product must be popular. You may try it out. The same principle applies to your business. If you want people to trust your brand, you need to be visible and consistent. As you can imagine, this is easy. Consistent branding takes a lot of time and effort to achieve. But, like our favorite global brands, business success and growth is worth it.

Repetition in Brand Familiarization

Familiarity is another critical factor when it comes to building a solid brand. People are more likely to trust and purchase products from brands that they recognize. Remember when I asked for a Kleenex? Through strategic advertising and repetition, Kleenex has become a generic term for facial tissue. I don’t think twice about asking for a Kleenex because the brand is so familiar. This is why repetition is so important – the more we see or hear an ad, the more familiar it becomes. The consistency of your brand can be the make-or-break factor in whether or not people purchase your product. Why? Because when people see or hear your brand name multiple times, it starts to become more familiar to them. In other words, if your competitor is running TV, radio, and online ads effectively, chances are your audience will prefer them if you're not present offline. Depending on the size of the corporation, that alone can result in millions of dollars in costs.

Repetition in First Thought

First thoughts matter – especially when it comes to your brand. Again, repetition plays a role here. The more times we see or hear something, the more likely it is to be our first thought regarding that subject. This is a great marketing tactic from a long-term standpoint. By promoting your name and messages, your business will remain top-of-mind when potential customers are ready to buy. And once your company becomes a household name, it becomes that much easier to keep selling. Unlike Pepsi, however, do not stop once you reach household name status. While household brand names like Pepsi can recover from multi-million dollar losses, the same cannot be said for small businesses. In fact, the reason so many small businesses fail today is due to their inability to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of marketing and advertising. As a business professional myself, let me offer you some helpful advice: Remember what got you to the top in the first place – great products or services, competitive pricing, and good marketing. When you want to break through to the next level in your business, you’re going to nee to level up your brand message and media buy.

A Lesson from Pepsi

Pepsi has been one of the most successful soda brands for many years. They have achieved this level of success in part due to their aggressive marketing campaigns. Pepsi spends billions of dollars annually to ensure that its name is constantly in the public eye. And it has paid off – Pepsi is now one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Pepsi’s successes and failures can teach us a lot about the power of marketing. If a company is willing to invest heavily in marketing, it can become a household name and reap the rewards for years. However, if a company’s marketing strategy is unsuccessful, it can waste billions of dollars with little to show for it. The takeaway for businesses is that marketing is essential to success but must be approached carefully. In addition to digital marketing, traditional media still plays a crucial role. Like Pepsi, both must be managed to generate business growth and success. Marketing, however, takes a significant amount of time that business owners may not have. At Wizard of Ads™, we know the power of marketing and how to harness it for your business' success. Our commitment to short and long-term success will ensure your business's growth for years to come. Are you ready to become a household name? Book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today to get started.