Monday, March 19, 2007

First Question: How's Your Product?

By the time most clients come to me, they've settled on their product, the final features are determined, usually the price is set. Our instructions are to "go sell it." Our first step is to ask for market research on what the customers want and how they've reacted to this product, and usually there isn't much. We want it so we can develop advertising that really moves people to buy. And the right advertising direction is critical, don't get me wrong.

But it's not nearly as important as the product in the first place. I mean, did anyone really buy an iPod because of those weird dancing commercials? They weren't bad spots, they contributed to the "cool factor," but they weren't the reason for boom. The iPod just worked better. It was easier to find music, to download it, to sync it. It has, essentially, one big button that lets you control everything. It just worked.



And the other "sensations" of our time, like eBay and PayPal, aren't huge because they got the right ad at the right time. But because they were products that were developed with the end user in mind, and adapted until they took off.

We can make a great ad for your product. Can you make a great product for our ad?