Advertising is dead - Dave Liow

Yep – traditional advertising is still dead...

Just a reminder (yet again) that traditional advertising is well and truly dead!

I’m writing this article from a hotel room looking over Tokyo city after a day of exploring the streets of the world’s biggest city. There are 28 million people buzzing around below in what I’d describe as very organised Japanese chaos. This morning I spent time walking around Shibuya, a very hip and crazy busy part of town. I have never been so absolutely bombarded by the world of advertising. There are giant screens on the side of buildings, blaring advertisements, people handing you flyers and calling you into shops. There are signs on the footpath, buildings, and on the front of people being walking billboards. Every sense is overrun with advertising. The locals walk around oblivious to the world of advertising around them. I was jumping out of my skin from the assault to my senses. When I sat and watched what advertising was effective, I noticed that the only advertising material that was being kept and read by the locals were paper/plastic fans (with ads on them of course) that could be used to generate some breeze in the humidity and pollution of a 36°C summer’s day.

Let’s put this in the context of how we advertise as PTs. How do you advertise? Is your advertising valuable or are you a blaring video screen saying look at me?

If you are producing useful, valuable resources that help and inform your community, just like our Japanese fans, your message will be noticed. People are interested and thirsting for knowledge about health. In fact a recent Harris Interactive poll reported that 60% of Microsoft searches are health related (second only to travel searches at 61%).

Bottom line is that if you want to get noticed, give value. Do this in your talks, newsletters and with the clients that you work with everyday. Leave your glossy brochures at home, go get out there and be noticed.