Marketing Matters would like to ask for your support in raising funds to help support restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Please join us in supporting the “Change for the Gulf” campaign started by Rich & Linda Frembes. From their website:

http://www.frembes.com/ChangefortheGulf.html

June 4, 2010

Dear friends and colleagues in the AV industry:

I’d like to share with you an idea that I hope will take hold like wildfire. As we all know, the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is just that – a disaster. If you are like me, you probably look at the oil spill footage and wonder what you can do. My husband Rich and I were looking at this photo gallery last night and wondering the same thing.

Here is our idea: We want your change. Yes, the change you have in your pocket and in the bottom of your purse. We want it.

Next week at InfoComm, we hope to launch a campaign to collect everyone’s pocket change. I’m calling it “Change for the Gulf” and it will benefit the Gulf Restoration Network. They’ve been around since 1995 and have spearheaded efforts to protect the Gulf for the past 15 years. The BP oil spill has only made their job infinitely more difficult.

To show our commitment, Rich and I are putting up $250 of our own money as a dollar-for-dollar match. This is not a plea from a corporation. We’re putting up our personal funds because we see an opportunity and we know the big, caring heart that beats within the AV community. Update: Gary Hall of the New Green Economy is also offering $250 of his own money as matching funds! Rational Acoustics is also putting up $250 in matching funds. Total so far is $750 in matching funds as of 4:00 pm EST on June 4.

If you wish to join in this effort, here’s what we’re asking you to do:

InfoComm Exhibitors: We’d like to put a small sign and a collection jar/receptacle in your booth. That’s all we’re asking. We’ll come collect the change; we’re just asking for a small space. If you would like to do more, the door is open. Update: Middle Atlantic Products (booth C6002), Fulcrum Acoustic/Rational Acoustics (booth C7922), AVI-SPL (booth N2731), and Projector Lamp Services (booth C4849)are hosting collection jars!

InfoComm attendees: If you see a collection jar or if you see me or Rich, please drop in your change. We want the $0.06 in your pocket from the $9.94 you just paid for your convention center burger.

Non-attendees: You can donate directly to the Gulf Restoration Network via their payment site, but please use the code “AVforGulf” in the Designation Code field. You must use this code if you want your donation to count towards matching funds!

The New Green Economy is also collecting PayPal donations (URL coming shortly) so that we can track donations for matching funds. Please note: The New Green Economy is not making a profit from collecting the PayPal donations (they just have better IT than I do as a freelancer!)

If you’d like to get in touch with me to see how else we can help raise funds, email me at Linda at Frembes dot com or contact me on Twitter at @AVwriter.

If you’re on Twitter and want to spread the word, please send this page URL along with the hashtag #AVforGulf.

Please help if you can. Because even if the several thousands of us who are attending InfoComm next week can give just a few cents, it makes a big impact on the lives of many.

Many thanks,
Rich & Linda Frembes

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While there are myriad types of media to promote your message, print ads still seem to be a relevant and effective tool, especially if you’re looking to reach B2B audiences, readers who rely heavily on trade journals for industry trends and business advice.
 

The challenge is we’re all constantly bombarded with information via magazines, newspapers, television, computers, billboards, radio, smart phones and more. And this deluge of data creates a daunting challenge for marketers looking to get their message to the right audiences in a way that readers take notice.

 
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  1. Write copy based on an old marketing acronym, WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). Your copy must state why the reader should care, purchase, donate, call, click, etc. The copy needs to be as strong as your image, but should be minimal as possible. I’ve seen plenty of very strong ads that consist of simply a headline, an image and a call to action.

 

  1. Motivate your audience to ACT! No ad is complete until you’ve written a strong call to action. Once you’ve interested your reader enough to stop and read, you need to tell them what to do next. Usually the idea is to get them to buy your product or services, pick up the phone and call, or go to their computer and log on.

 

SAMPLE PRINT ADS

 

What does it look like when you combine these three elements in your ads? Check out these links:

 

Comments? Suggestions?

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