Sorkin_Quixote - The Monday Morning Memo

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There is a spectrum within ad writing.

At one end of that spectrum is the purely Transactional ad.

Purely Relational ads are at the other end.

The objective of a Transactional ad is to make the sale. Salespeople can now be replaced with clerks.

At the other end of that spectrum, Relational ads create a predisposition toward a brand, a feeling of connection and a relationship of trust. Salespeople are still required, but they will enjoy the advantage of far more selling opportunities and customers that are already half sold.

There is a type of business person who says to the ad writer, “I need traffic. Bring me more traffic. If you double my traffic, I’ll double my sales. Show me what you can do.” That business owner (or sales manager) is insisting that you write a hard-hitting, hype-filled Transactional ad that is full of smoke, mirrors, and empty promises.

Likewise, the business person who monitors their “Return On Ad Spend” (ROAS) is indicating their sincere belief that the benefit of advertising evaporates quickly. A ROAS client will – like the “Give me traffic” client – always be drawn to Transactional ads because Transactional ads are more easily measured.

In the middle of the spectrum – halfway between Transactional and Relational– is Sales Activation.

Sales Activation ads feel “relational.” But they happily point out why right now would be a good time to make a purchase. The reason might be seasonal, or it might be something that will be available for only a limited time, or an item of which there in only a limited quantity, or the introduction of something that is genuinely new, surprising, and different. Sales Activation is a soft and friendly call-to-action that revolves a specific reason why right now might be a wise time to buy.

If you want to grow a powerful brand that becomes a household word, 60 percent of your ads should be Relational and 40 percent of your ads should be Sales Activation.

To inject Transactional ads into that mix would only create a schizophrenic brand image.

In the short term – usually 5 to 6 months – Transactional ads will always outperform a 60/40 mix of Relational ads with Sales Activation. But the longer you run Transactional ads, the less well they perform.

The longer you run Relational ads, the better they perform. In the second and third year, the brand that is using a 60/40 combination of Relational ads with Sales Activation ads will have gained so much momentum that their Transactional competitors will be watching with jacked-open eyes and scratching their heads in amazement

Keep in mind that we are talking about B to C advertising using mass media.

B to B advertising has a different set of rules and uses different media.

And if you are in a narrow “niche” business, social media will be your answer.

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- Roy H. Williams

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