THE “AD DOESN’T WORK BECAUSE I DON’T REMEMBER THE BRAND” MYTH

hen friends discuss ads they like, there’s often an aha moment when somebody says, “But can you remember what the ad is for?” Sure enough, people often remember the ad but not the product. Or do they? I see it this way: so many great ads don’t alter opinions; they plant seeds, which you take in willingly, then happily allow them to settle in below your conscious topsoil. For example, suppose you see an ad you enjoy for, say, a brand of frozen pizza. You love, love … love the ad and describe it in great detail to friends—though you can’t remember the brand. But next time you’re at the supermarket, staring down at a half-dozen brands of frozen pizza and seeing no discernible difference between them, I’ll bet you a nickel your eye will gravitate toward the brand whose ad you loved. The “happy association” between the name of the product and the wonderful commercial could be all it takes to make that brand first among equals in your mind.

But what if it’s a really lousy product? You’ll remember that too. Hence the marketing axiom “Nothing makes a bad product fail faster than a great ad.”