Marketing
Nobody Reads Advertising
The effort you put into crafting the perfect advertisement is wasted on your audience if it isn’t more interesting than what they’re already doing.
Howard Luck Gossage, an advertising legend of the ’50s and ’60s, was not your conventional adman. He once stated, “Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.” Gossage’s approach turned the traditional advertising model on its head. Unlike his peers, he wasn’t enamoured by advertising; he aimed to engage readers as if in conversation. Instead of focusing on short, catchy headlines, Gossage captivated readers with atmospheric stories and compelling campaigns.
One classic example was his campaign for Qantas Airways. Rather than comparing his client’s airplanes with those of TWA, he told people how happy Qantas was to be using the same planes as TWA. He even launched a competition to name the new aircraft, offering a live kangaroo as the prize. The campaign was an unparalleled success in its time, demonstrating Gossage’s knack for seizing attention in unexpected ways.
His ads often left readers wanting more, a tactic he employed deliberately. A series of weekly stories for the Whiskey Distillers of Ireland, for instance, would sometimes end abruptly, compelling readers to wait for the next instalment. Such tactics, radical during their time, would be heralded as ‘inbound marketing’ in today’s digital age.
However, the advertising landscape has changed. With today’s fast-paced digital world, the old methods of keeping an audience’s attention over weeks or years seem impractical. Contemporary advertising focuses on quick turnover and immediate action, often neglecting the importance of engagement and interest.
Gossage never aimed for immediate gratification. For him, good advertising wasn’t just about driving sales; it was also about making a lasting impact. He often quipped, “An outstanding ad is the result of an outstanding ego.”
In today’s advertising, the takeaway remains the same. Whether it’s a blog post or an ad, the goal is to captivate the audience. This means understanding what interests people and delivering it, even if that doesn’t immediately involve the product or service you’re selling. Creativity is not about design over content, but about engendering a genuine emotional response. So, when crafting ads or stories, consider what will make them compelling enough to not just attract attention, but to also keep people engaged. This is the real essence of brand-building.
Gossage’s work underlines the importance of being what people are interested in rather than merely interrupting what they’re doing. Though times have changed, the underlying principles of advertising as a form of meaningful engagement haven’t, and Gossage’s legacy remains a testament to this enduring truth.
The above is a summary of the article, Nobody Reads Advertising, Marketing, the full version of which is available to read at The Marketing Alliance: themarketingalliance.co.uk
About the author, Clive Wilson
Become a Medium Member
Whether or not you’re a writer, the sheer volume of content and range of topics from incredible writers is well worth the $5 per month on its own.
https://clive-wilson.medium.com/membership.
