3 Signs Your Someone’s Marketing Guinea Pig

Have you ever wondered if your marketing consultant, brand/logo designer or advertising agent really know what they are doing — or are just using you as a guinea pig to ‘figure it all out’? Here are some obvious signs you are someone’s guinea pig:

1. They say you need to run a test campaign or see what works best.

When your advertising agency, social media or digital marketing company say that you need to run a series of ads to see what works best ‘for you’, then you know they have no idea what they are doing.

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” This famous quote was from successful US merchant and forefather of marketing, John Wanamaker in the late 1800’s. In 1923 Claud Hopkins wrote Scientific Advertising — and we now all KNOW which half is being wasted.

Unfortunately, if you ask your marketing/advertising (social media/digital marketing) ‘professional’ about Scientific Advertising by Claud Hopkins, they won’t know what you are talking about. So, effectively you will end up with the same issues that were solved 100 years ago!

1. Your logo designer gives you more than one option to choose from.

While we all love to have choices, if your logo designer is not a branding specialist, they really have no idea what a good logo is or what will work best for your business — and they won’t be able to educate you either, which means it will be a case of the blind leading the blind.

Branding specialists start with creating a Brand Story. This requires a lot of research on both your target market and your competitors — as well as a great understanding of you and your passions. A Brand Story informs everyone what the logo (or sometimes called the Brand Icon) should be — including its colours, shapes and any meanings associated with it.

And before you ask, no your logo is NOT your company name — think of such famous logos as Apple, McDonalds, Nike, etc. None need the company name — and are often used on their own without any textual reference to the company. Also, what does an apple have to do with computers, golden archers with burgers and a tick with sports shoes?

Here’s another hint, the word Brand comes from ‘brandr’ — an Ancient Norse word meaning ‘to burn’ — and was first used in relation to branding cattle. Imagine trying to replicate your current ‘logo’ on the side of a cattle beast — in order for the details to be seen would it need to be so big it would ruin the hide and probably kill the cow?

1. You see yourself and your company perfectly reflected in your advertising.

If you see yourself or your company perfectly reflected in your advertising, then your advertising agency is merely trying to ‘keep you happy’ and ‘give you what you want’. They do not have the skill to educate you about effective marketing and advertising.

Your advertising need to reflect your client (called Client Directed Marketing), not you! You are not your target market — and neither are your friends and family. So, stop asking your friends and family what they think of your new brand image, advertising creative and/or label designs — ask your target market what THEY think!

Seriously, why are you employing someone to do your marketing and advertising if they don’t know any more than you do?

We have 40 years marketing and advertising experience — on a global scale — and have helped thousands of companies absolutely smash their competitors with breakthrough marketing campaigns.

Contact us today for a free consultation.