Stretching Your Ad Budget

Advertising is like a potato chip. You can't consume just one.

But advertising is the most expensive channel in the communications lineup. During 2006, according to New York Business, "Total spending by the top 10 advertisers, which include New York City-based giants Time Warner and Verizon Communications, fell 3%, compared to 2005, to $18.6 billion."

Frequency and reach are survival keys in any communication, but in the case of advertising, it's multiplied many times. So, if you can't afford to do it right, should you just not do it?  Most marketers feel this way, but there is an alternative.

You can ride the coattails of one of the bigger brands by mimicking their themes, borrowing their ideas, getting on their bandwagon. Let me explain.

For those of you who remember the early days of distributed computing, you'll appreciate this story. While all of the minicomputer vendors were trying to get the word out about an alternate to mainframes, a miracle occurred. IBM announced their endorsement for distributed computing. The share prices of the mini vendors immediately shot up. It was then that the phrase, "When IBM sneezes, everyone gets a cold" became popular. 

It's not the first time the industry has benefited from IBM. Internet stocks benefited when IBM endorsed the web as a business channel - with its memorable e-business campaign.

Even to this day, when IBM's market share is nothing like its heyday, the global giant still has the ability to legitimize a market with its marketing campaigns. So before you spend scarce ad dollars, see what the big guys are doing. And if you can, ride their coattails.