Marketing Message from 1885

By JT | April 11, 2013

At a recent Industry Leaders Round Tables meeting, I had a club owner tell me his traditional marketing was no longer working. He told me that he would advertise in the local paper for 3 or 4 weeks and then take a break. marketing 1885

This discussion reminded me of a list that Jay Conrad Levinson had shared, courtesy of Thomas Smith, in 1885. It stated:

  • The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.
  • The second time, he does not notice it.
  • The third time, he is conscious of its existence.
  • The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.
  • The fifth time, he reads it.
  • The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.
  • The seventh time, he reads it through and says, ‘Oh brother!’
  • The eighth time, he says, ‘Here’s that confounded thing again!’
  • The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.
  • The tenth time, he asks his neighbour if he has tried it.
  • The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.
  • The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.
  • The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.
  • The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.
  • The fifteenth time, he is tantalised because he cannot afford to buy it.
  • The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it someday.
  • The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.
  • The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.
  • The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.
  • The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.

From my experience, the people who get bored with traditional marketing are the owners and marketing directors. They want to keep changing their marketing message to keep their job or try for the magic, ‘Boom!’

Keep your message consistent and you will reap the rewards!

Posted in Marketing