Effective Newspaper Ads

A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Puppet
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends, news from the world of puppets and ventriloquism, bits of humor and other interesting but useless information. I post every Tuesday and Friday.
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About Brown & Martin, Inc.

Spring is Here
No place appreciates the arrival of spring more than the Heartland where we've been under Mother Nature's cold, windy thumb since last November. And here in WI spring is often trumpeted in with the roar of Harley Davidson motorcycles that have been released from the bonds of winter storage.

Although Harley was among the first to be affected by tough economic times, the company is taking control of its future by aggressively touting its new products through multiple marketing campaigns.

These two ads recently caught my attention because they get to the heart of what makes owning a Harley so special.

A lot of people dream of owning a Harley.  The mystique, the camaraderie, the freedom and the thrill are all there ... along with the well worn "biker" image. 

Dale occasionally stuffs me into one of his saddle bags when he takes a ride through the scenic Kettle Moraine of WI. (He won't strap me on the back until I get a helmet.) We make one or two stops at biker gathering places where there are no strangers ... just fellow riders.  Dale says that it's still a rush to be a part of this very special group of people who pay absolutely no mind to what a person does for a living, or what they own or don't own. When they're on their Harley's they're all comrades with whom there is a special bond. Judgment, prejudice and differences are nearly non-existent within this group.  No wonder so many people want to be part of it.

Harley's challenge is to successfully market to a younger audience. And with two AMA Pro race wins under its belt this year, the company's Buell division may be the conduit to that goal.            

If You Want to See Us Perform, but Are too Cheap to Buy a Ticket ...

I frequently receive emails asking "Where can I see you perform?"  My answer is, "Well, I know it's a lot of work, but you could go to YouTube.com to watch one of Dale's videos which has been viewed almost 100,000 times."  But to be honest, that particular clip doesn't include me ... so why watch it?

It's easier to just click here or on the photo to see our promo video that includes a variety of clips ... including some corporate programs.  You'll notice that Dale has aged while I look better than ever. 

But honestly, the best way to see us "live" is to hire Dale as a keynote speaker for your convention or ask us to perform at your:

• Chamber of Commerce dinner
• Service club banquet
• Employee meeting
• Distributor event
• Club holiday party
• Association awards dinner
• Or similar occasion.

Click here to go to our Web site for more information.

There's Still Such a Thing as Effective Newspaper Advertising
STIHL Inc. recently kicked off a national ad campaign in The Wall Street Journal promoting its chainsaws and handheld outdoor power equipment.  STIHL is the number one selling brand of chain saws worldwide.

Most of the ads are large full-page layouts, and shrinking them down to fit in this blog wouldn't do them justice. However the ad that follows will give you an idea of how the company is taking advantage of the newspaper format to depict its products cutting, trimming and blowing away news articles.

The headline of my favorite full page STIHL ad is:

OF THE 40,000 ITEMS YOU CAN BUY AT LOWE'S® AND THE HOME DEPOT,®
THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM

Then the ad simply shows picture of a STIHL chainsaw with a short paragraph of copy. Bold. And in my opinion it's very effective at promoting the company's exclusive dealerships.

Need Help Cleaning Those "Hard to Reach" Places?

I'm including this only because the video on the Web site is so funny ... not intentionally, mind you. To quote the video, "Has taking a shower become a pain?"

Click on the photo or link to see the amazing "Foot Scrubber" and "Body Snake" in action on overweight, out of shape people who should never agree to be photographed in the shower.

Instead of sending the company $24.95 plus $11.95 for shipping and handling, just send me $5 and I'll come over and scrub your back.

A Muppet Moment