[Dixielandjazz] Advertising

[Steve Barbone]

"pat ladd" <pj.ladd at btinternet.com> wrote (about advertising)


> Hi Tom,
> 
> I think this is a point which is either appreciated or not. It can`t be
> taught.
> 
> I used to run my own business selling building materials. Everything from
> cement and gravel to wallpaper and paint. When things were bad in the
> building trade, a regular occurence as house building became a political
> football, I always doubled my advertising budget.
> My competitors took the line `business is down, I must cut my costs. Cut
> back on advertising`
> 
> I could never understand the logic of that  which was no doubt the reason
> that I kept taking my competitors over.  When the word got out that I was
> going to retire I had national concerns standing in line to buy me out and I
> finally sold for a ridiculously large figure with lots of `0` after it.
> 
> My father used to say  `Early to bed and early to rise
> Work like hell and ADVERTISE`

Solid advice from both Pat and Pat's Dad.

Many businessmen I ran across in my day gig life viewed advertising as a
cost and so when ever they hit a business slowdown, they cut the advertising
budget. Very short sighted.

IMO advertising (and promotion) is an investment in the future of the
business. It goes to the very essence of what business focus is: "The prime
purpose of business is, to stay in business." (Harvard Business Review
article by Peter Drucker several decades ago) That's why one advertises
and/or promotes.

I do think it can be taught. And believe it is taught in Business Schools
all over the world from The Harvard Business School to the college of hard
knocks. Some folks who have attended, heard, and then discarded the subject
matter are just poor students.

That's what the band leader is supposed to do with part of the leader fee
money, rather than buying a Turbo Porsche. Or, if in the big leagues, just
check out all the ads in the "Entertainment" section of newspapers like The
NY or LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune etc., etc.

Or, after a successful business career of advertising investment, you can
take the excess money and buy an airplane and/or a country Estate like list
mate Pat Ladd. :-) VBG.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone