The phrase “As Seen on TV” is not used by accident. Stores like Bed Bath ‘n Beyond have entire sections devoted to products that carry this label. As a marketer it gets you a lot of credibility.
I came across this ad today.
This ad has a lot going on for it on a number of levels. There is implied credibility “As seen on ABC, CNN, MSNBC, USA Today.” I haven’t checked but I can almost assure you this company paid to be on each as an advertisement.
Lose Money on Purpose
I’ve actually had clients pay for ads where we knew upfront we would lose money. But now you can say “As seen on…”. Great marketing right? You don’t need to be a featured news story to say “As seen in Time Magazine.” You just need to be seen in the magazine.
Market Your Marketing
The back-end is where you make money on the ad. My clients told everyone they were in Time Magazine. They got reprints of the page and included it on their website and other marketing. When I had a traditional radio show sponsors would pay me $700 per month for advertising. I helped them turn that $700 into $2,000 by marketing their marketing.
Be in the Space
Another thing this ad has going for it is that it looks like a news story. But it was probably done with a green screen and this woman isn’t saying anything that has to do with berries. But it looks real, right? That ties into the space of the ‘breaking news’ theme and catches your attention.
Sex Sells
It doesn’t hurt that it’s a beautiful woman doing it. Have you ever seen a news anchor wear the shirt she’s wearing? Me either, but it catches your eye.
The Bottom Line
Of course, I’m not saying you need to do any of this in your advertising. In fact, my advertising budget is $0. Being a real, authentic person works much better than any advertisement I could ever buy.
If you buy advertising however, fit your space. If it’s an ad in a newspaper, make it look like a breaking story. Fit in with your publication and the readers will assign any credibility the publication has directly to you.
