When Ads Work New Proof That Advertising Triggers Sales

The "accepted wisdom" in advertising is that ad campaigns are good for building brand recognition and good will, but not for immediate sales impact. "When Ads Work" argues the opposite - that well-planned and well-executed advertising campaigns can and should have an immediate impact on sales. Featuring numerous examples from recent ad campaigns, the new edition of this popular book is a model for any successful advertising research program. With a device he calls STAS (Short Term Advertising Strength) - a measure of the immediate effect of advertising on sales - the author demonstrates that the strongest ad campaigns can triple sales, while the weakest campaigns can actually cause sales to fall by more than 50 percent. He exposes sales promotions as wasteful, especially when they are unsupported by advertising, and also demonstrates the strong synergy that can operate between advertising and promotion when they are planned and executed in an integrated fashion. "When Ads Work" offers eye-opening research and practical information that no one who studies advertising or spends advertising dollars can afford to ignore.

List of Tables and Figures; Preface; PART 1. FACTS REPLACE THEORY; 1. The Single-Source Breakthrough; 2. The Short-Term Effect of Advertising - Passing Through the Gate; 3. The Rapid Spread of Pure Single-Source Research; 4. How a Short-Term Effect Can Turn Into a Medium-Term One; 5. Keeping the Brand in the Window; 6. An Interlude - Successful Advertising Campaigns; PART 2. EVIDENCE FOR PART 1: SEVENTY-EIGHT BRANDS DISSECTED; 7. Advertising That Works: The Alpha One Brands; 8. Advertising That Stops Working: The Alpha Two Brands; 9. Advertising That Works in Some Cases: The Beta Brands; 10. Advertising That Does Not Work: The Gamma Brands; 11. Penetration and Purchase Frequency; 12. From Insight to Action; PART 3. APPENDICES; A. Stability.... and Volatility; B. The History of Single-Source Research - The First Steps; C. The History of Single-Source Research - Chasing Hares; D. The Calculation of Advertising Intensity; E. The Leading 142 Brands in the Product Categories Covered in This Research; About the Author; Index.