Dare Not to Advertise

I am going to say something pretty controversial: it is entirely possible to market your products or services effectively—with minimal advertising.

Now as the foundations and pillars of rational marketing thought come crashing down, please let me explain.

According to a recent Associated Press article, "the New Democrat Network has spent just over $3 million to buy air time for campaign ads in battleground states and expects to spend more than $1 million more before Election Day on ads emphasizing Democratic positions on issues such as health care, education and the minimum wage."

In response to this, the Bush campaign has countered with $2.4 million spent airing ads aimed at targeting specific ethnic groups in key states. Totaling the spending between the two factions tabulates into a hefty $6.4 million dollars—all of it spent on advertising within eight weeks!

In another article titled "Ad Wars," in the August 2004 issue of Health Leaders Magazine two leading hospitals in the same community are duking it out with pricey print and broadcast advertising campaigns.

One is an academic center; the other is a community hospital. Both are vying for patients. Unfortunately, the article does not discuss other marketing strategies that the two hospital groups might be using. However, it's likely that a significant portion of their marketing spend is on advertising.

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Paul A. Barsch directs the professional services marketing programs for one of the top 10 software companies in the United States and blogs about the intersection and impact of technology and marketing (www.paulbarsch.com). He can be contacted at paulbarsch(at)yahoo(dotcom).