Advertising Insights with Anesa
One Great Ad Beats Ten Average Ones
Take a look at your social media feed for just a few minutes.
You'll scroll past dozens of advertisements without giving them a second thought. Some blend together. Others are overloaded with text. Some have blurry photos, too many fonts, or no clear message at all. By the time you've finished scrolling, you probably couldn't tell someone what you just saw.
Now think about the advertisements you do remember.
Chances are they weren't remembered because there were hundreds of them. They stood out because they were well designed, had a clear message, and gave you a reason to pay attention.
That's the difference between creating advertising and creating effective advertising.
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is believing they simply need to post more often. More Facebook posts. More graphics. More flyers. More emails. More of everything.
While consistency is important, quantity without quality rarely produces the results you're hoping for.
In today's world, your customers are exposed to thousands of marketing messages every single day. Every notification, billboard, email, website, video, and social media platform is competing for the same thing—attention.
Attention has become one of the most valuable currencies in business.
If your advertisement doesn't earn those first few seconds, the rest of your message doesn't matter.
That's why successful advertising isn't about saying everything.
It's about saying the right thing.
A great advertisement has one purpose. One message. One call to action.
Instead of listing every product you sell, every service you offer, your entire company history, five phone numbers, three logos, and a paragraph of fine print, ask yourself one simple question:
What is the one thing I want someone to remember after seeing this ad?
If they remember that one thing, you've already won half the battle.
The best advertisements also understand that design isn't decoration, it's communication.
Every headline should guide the eye.
Every photograph should support the message.
Every color should reinforce your brand.
Every inch of space should have a purpose.
When everything on an advertisement is shouting, nothing gets heard.
Sometimes the most powerful design choice is deciding what to leave out.
Professional designers often spend just as much time removing unnecessary elements as they do adding new ones. Simplicity isn't taking shortcuts. It's making deliberate choices so the message comes through loud and clear.
Think about some of the world's most recognizable brands. Their advertising is often surprisingly simple. They don't overwhelm you with information because they know memorable advertising is focused advertising.
Local businesses can use that same approach.
Instead of trying to create ten average advertisements every month, invest your time and energy into creating one or two exceptional ones. Use quality photography. Write a headline that sparks curiosity. Give customers one clear reason to choose you. Finish with a simple call to action that tells them exactly what to do next.
You'll likely spend less time creating content and get far better results.
At Oklahoma's Choice Weekly, we believe every advertisement represents your business long before a customer ever walks through your door or picks up the phone. That's why we encourage businesses to think beyond simply filling advertising space. Great advertising builds credibility. It creates recognition. It starts conversations. Most importantly, it gives people confidence that they're choosing the right business.
The goal isn't to create more advertising.
The goal is to create advertising that people actually remember.
Because one great advertisement will almost always accomplish more than ten average ones.
ANESA K. CHASTAIN JONES, General Manager/Graphics Director, 918-285-1314, graphics@oklahomaschoiceweekly.com
