An Advertising Lesson from the Message General Booth Gave to Attendees of an International Convention?
I heard a story that said that many years ago the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and they had a problem.
Their founder, General William Booth, couldn’t attend because of physical weakness.
Unlike the technology we have available to us today, he couldn’t just call in or “be there” virtually during the conference via Zoom to present his message to the attendees.
Instead, he cabled his convention message to them.
And what was the message he sent them?
It was just one word: “OTHERS.”
In just a minute, I’ll explain what this has to do with advertising during difficult times like the kind that the Coronavirus has brought us.
But first, let me remind you of what I shared in my last article on this same topic.
Previously on DRCM: How to Advertise During Difficult Times
In my last article, How to Advertise During Difficult Times: Powerful Advice from a Classic Advertising Book, I told you that the best way to know how to advertise during this time is to look at what others have done during similar times.
I then shared some advice from a book that has sold over 8 million copies and that marketing greats have recommended: Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins.
Well, today I have some more advice on how to advertise during a recession like we’re in right now.
And that advice comes again from the same book and the same author.
More Advice How to Advertise During a Recession from the Book Scientific Advertising
People Don’t Care About Your Product or Service
Remember what I said in my last article about this book.
In it, Claude Hopkins shared fundamental advertising lessons that he had seen work inside and outside all of those many years of recessions and economic downturns.
With that in mind, listen to the next important piece of advice he gives…
“Don’t try to be amusing. Money spending is a serious matter. Don’t boast, for all people resent it. Don’t try to show off. Do just what you think a good salesman should do with a half-sold person before him.
“Some advertising men go out in person and sell to people before they plan or write an ad. One of the ablest of them has spent weeks on one article, selling from house to house. In this way, they learn the reactions from different forms of argument and approach.
“They learn what possible buyers want and the factors which don’t appeal. It is quite customary to interview hundreds of possible customers.
“Others send out questionnaires to learn the attitude of buyers. In some way, all must learn how to strike responsive chords. Guesswork is very expensive.
“The maker of an advertised article knows the manufacturing side and probably the dealer’s side. But this very knowledge often leads him astray in respect to consumers. His interests are not their interests.
“The advertising man studies the consumer. He tries to place himself in the position of the buyer. His success largely depends on doing that to the exclusion of everything else.“
– Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
Do you see the now see why I said General Booth’s message contained an advertising lesson? Let me explain…
The Common Advertising Mistake In a Recession
You see, the common mistake most businesses make during or after a recession is that they study and focus mainly on their product.
As Hopkins said, this kind of thinking will only lead you astray from influencing your prospect or customer.
(*You might be able to occasionally get away with that outside of a recession, but not when we’re in one and people are holding on more tightly to their money.)
How to Advertise More Effectively in a Recession
That’s where General Booth’s message and Claude Hopkins message line up.
The way to advertise more effectively during a recession is by focusing more on others.
- Study the customer.
- Put yourself in their shoes.
- See things like they do.
- Think like they think.
- Feel what they’re feeling.
This is where effective advertising in (or outside of) a recession begins. Honestly, it’s where it ends too.
As Hopkins said, “Your success depends on it.”
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