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n How many read, watch or listen to the publication or service? (For
every buyer of a publication there are one or more extra readers.
You take home a newspaper and the family read those parts that
interest them. Magazines are passed round and often end up in
waiting rooms.)

n What are those readers, listeners or viewers interested in right
now in terms of editorial material?

n What are they arguing about on the “letters” page or elsewhere?

n What is likely to excite the editor or production team by helping to
raise new issues – contentious or otherwise? (Though they
generally prefer contentious, properly handled discord sells
newspapers and periodicals. When the editor of the Daily Bugle
makes personal attacks on the editor of The Scandal it is less to
vent spite than to sell newspapers by forcing readers to
demonstrate their “loyalty”.)

With this information you can make an informed decision.

n Is this the right medium for you?

n Might a cheaper approach than advertising get better results?

n Could paid advertising and editorial work in tandem?

n Should you become a radio or television personality?

n Might you usefully offer the editor a regular column or an “agony
aunt” piece that may turn you into the world’s first “mousetrap
guru”?

So you decide to advertise

Design your advertisement with care.

n Create a heading or headline which will get the attention of every
reader, listener or viewer who is in the market for your product or
service. “Do You Hate Mice?” Make sure that you speak to your
potential customers personally. Remember that the word “you” is
the strongest word in the advertising lexicon. Speak to your
customer as if in a one-to-one conversation and grab their
attention quickly. They haven’t a lot of time to spare.

n Make a promise. “The new Acme Mousetrap will rid your
home of mice more quickly, cleanly and cheaply than any
competitive product.” “New” is a powerful word, but it must
mean what it says. We are all a little tired of “new and improved”
meaning the same old stuff in a different box.

n Provide credible evidence that your promise will be fulfilled.
“Professor Felix Kattzenpuss of the Vienna Institute of

154 Key management questions