Cookie-Cutter Advertising Does Not Cut it

If you are in a real estate market selling or looking for a residential property or have sold or bought one, you would have noticed it and will agree that all real estate print advertisements look the same. If you have not noticed the similarity yet, I am confident that after reading through this article, you would. Real estate print advertisements are of same size, mostly small, with similar layout, image on the right hand side of the ad, text on the left, small type font and lots of ads cluttered on a page. In multicultural (ethnic) newspapers as well, where generally properties are not listed, the ads layout resembles the mainstream newspapers. That is, the ads are small in size, mostly black & white, the image of the property, however, is replaced with a headshot of the sales representative. One difference in the real estate ads in multicultural newspapers and magazines is that these do have a caption or a heading. Though, the relevance and emotional connection of the heading with the target market is a moot point.

I call the above mentioned advertisements the cookie-cutter advertising, as if a baker has used his recipe and a mould to cut all real estate ads similar in size, look and feel. This symmetry could be a job par excellence in bakeries but I believe it does not provide a unique selling preposition (USP) or a competitive edge to real estate advertisers. To me, it is akin to driving through a street alongside townhouses built by one builder, Daniels, Mattamy Homes or Great Gulf Homes, looking similar in architecture and style. One has to slow down and make an effort to spot a particular townhouse. Similarly, a reader has to make an effort to discover the offer or simply, what’s in it for him!

Effective Advertising in the Changing World of Marketing

A friend who is the head of an advertising agency commented last week that one of his clients, a leading national Advertiser, considers that their branding gets distorted from advertising in newspapers. His remarks stuck to my mind and inspired me to mull over the effective advertising media in the changing world of marketing.  Though Internet is the fastest growing advertising medium and provides core benefits of cost-effectiveness and targeted advertising, the TV, radio and print media are still high impact advertising tools for effectively reaching target market for several products and services. For example, consumer packaged goods, personal care brands, grocery products, and over-the-counter drugs to name a few. 

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