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Storytelling
Why Conflict Is Essential – In Advertising and Life
Why does a story without conflict offer nothing to learn from in marketing and advertising?
If you’re like me, you’d prefer that things just run smoothly.
That everything would just work the way it’s supposed to.
Perfectly understandable — at least for me.
But this begs the question: if that’s what we want from life, then why do we hunger for conflict in our entertainment?
Why, in short, do we demand DRAMA?
For instance, take the perfect game.
Whether it’s Football, Baseball, Soccer, Hockey, or whatever weird sport you prefer, we don’t really want a one-sided massacre from a match-up we go to see.
That’s not entertaining.
So no matter how much we imagine the joy of gloating about the 70-to-nothing beatdown our team gave their team, it’s not a game we’d actually watch.
In fact, it would be a game we’d leave at half-time. Or the second period or the 5th inning or whatever.
What we want — what would actually keep us in our seats, cheering, chanting, and praying our little hearts out — would be a game with plenty of reversals, last-minute reprieves, and a nail-biting, nick-of-time victory.
In short, we won’t stand for a walk-over. We need a conflict. A hard-won battle.
And it is the same with novels, movies, short stories, and TV shows. We need — in fact, we demand — conflict, tension, and drama.
So what does this have to do with advertising?
Everything.
Your ads’ audience simply won’t believe a story without conflict — without some amount of sacrifice, loss, reversals, or lessons learned.
But most advertisers want nothing to do with that in ads they’re paying to put in front of customers.
They want the highlight real. The walkover. The no-brainer, “choose me, ‘cause it’s obvious” storyline.
You say you’ve got the best quality and the lowest prices and you always deliver perfect service? And you’ve been number one in your industry from day one with a perfect 5-star review score? Mirabile dictu!
Yeah… not buying it. No one’s buying it.
What they will “buy” is the idea that you had a painful lesson to learn in your past that put you on the path you’re on today.
They will believe that the person who once mattered most in your life set you on a mission that, despite the difficulties involved, you’ve been on ever since.
They’ll believe that your whole worldview (or professional understanding) got flipped upside down, ass-over-tea-kettle — and now you’re a forever changed business owner.
In short, they’ll believe conflict.
Better yet, they’ll believe you can help them with the conflict they’re experiencing.
Why?
Because a story without conflict offers nothing to learn from. Nothing to profit from.
Story is nothing less than a flight simulator for life, after all.
And life is never without conflict.
So what all of us want is a way to navigate that conflict to victory — however hard fought or narrowly won.
That’s what story is supposed to give us.
And if you think about it for half a second, your business exists to help people with a conflict of sorts in their own lives.
The reason customers come to you is precisely because things aren’t going as smoothly as they’d like.
Or because they foresee a future where there are significant bumps ahead.
They either have or anticipate having conflict and want help.
Whether it’s the conflicting need to get an eye-popping engagement ring without breaking the bank, or to fix a must-have central AC unit without getting taken for a ride, or to figure out how to deal with a parent’s failing health, there’s some part of your business that’s inherently dramatic in nature.
And no one wants help winning a gunfight from a guy who’s never been in one — or learned the hard lessons of how to win one.
Make sense? So what’s in your advertising? Are you telling the hard stories where conflict taught you a valuable lesson and shaped who you are today?
Or are you pitching conflict-free propaganda that no one believes and most people tune out of before half-time?
If it’s the latter, and you’d like to get help transforming your branding from an ad guy who’s learned lots of hard-fought victories…
If you’re interested in learning more about the best means for marketing your specific business, you can book a discovery call here.
Marketing
A Marketing Lesson, With Love From Gaston
If you want to know how to lose customers, take a lesson from Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston.
If you want to know how to lose customers, take a lesson from Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston.
Gaston is the quintessential man. He’s the man every man wants to be but can never quite measure up to. His own song says as much…
No one’s slick as Gaston
No one’s quick as Gaston
No one’s neck’s as incredibly thick as Gaston
For there’s no man in town half as manly…
The song goes on and on, but you get the point.
And I’ll bet your business is a lot like Gaston, in that you’re the best at what you do and none of your competitors can quite measure up to you!
But if Gaston is really the best, why do audiences around the world detest him so much?
Because every time he engages with people, he only talks about himself.
Here is where we come back to psychology. Our human nature is programmed to care the most about ourselves, care a lot about those we love, care a little about people we don’t know, and hardly care at all about inanimate objects like a business.
So why does our marketing so often sound like an awkward version of Gaston’s song that screams to listeners: “look at us, we are the best, we are desperate to do business with you!”?
It’s not a good look.
If we want to win the hearts of our customers, we must not only entertain them but connect with them on a personal level. We do this by talking about what they care about most, namely, themselves.
You may contest, “But telling potential customers about my business services or product is caring about them, because they need it!”
If that’s true, they don’t seem to think so. They’ve gotten along this far without you, so you come off as just another pesky company begging for their attention, singing your self-aggrandizing ballad.
Spoiler Alert… Gaston doesn’t get the girl, and you likely won’t get the customer if you take his same approach.
Your marketing should connect with your prospects emotionally, and tell a story that your customer sees him or herself in. Be authentic and give them the opportunity to be drawn to the heart of your business.
Then, once you have won their business, care for them and prioritize their happiness, as every man of character would.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Entrepreneurship
Are you overlooking something that’s holding you back? How my “aha!” moment could help
You follow a professional trajectory. But are you overlooking something?
We’re bogged down in information, but some epiphanies are worth sharing. Recently, author Steven Pressfield* in his “Writing Wednesdays” blog, reveals an insight inspired by Rosanne Cash.
He writes, “Training = Turning Pro. Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have professional habits. How does the pro acquire professional habits? By training. (The amateur by contrast either trains like an amateur or doesn’t train at all.)”
First, I think, “Of course” and then I say, “A-Ha!”
Reading great authors who are thinkers and leaders in my career path, I bolster my knowledge of advertising, sales, and writing. Several Wizard of Ads (WOA) partners are authors. Many are teachers. All are students. Evolving in their orbit, I find the concept of Training = Turning Pro is fundamental.
My surprise “A-ha” moment is the realization that after voicing ads for several years (as one part of my profession), I didn’t begin studying voiceover in a semi-professional way until 10 years ago. Then two years ago, WOA partner Johnny Molson (a fine fellow and an expert in many disciplines), shared the name of his exceptional voiceover instructor. With a country singer lament, I crooned: “Why didn’t I find her 30 years ago?” BECAUSE (A-ha moment solidified, codified, and horrified) I wasn’t seeking to become a professional 30 years ago. Ahhh… I was an amateur. I guess I thought turning pro just happened. HA! I’m still a work in progress.
You follow a professional trajectory. But are you overlooking something?
Taking something for granted? If you own/operate a business, you know you can’t be THE Professional in every aspect. That’s why you seek A Professional to handle the professional things you don’t have the desire or the time to develop. When I need a professional, I turn to WOA Partners. That’s my professional advice… of course.
Here’s to the epiphany that Turning Pro doesn’t just happen. You must make the choice. Thanks, Steven.
*Steven Pressfield has written several books including Gates of Fire, The War of Art, The Virtues of War, and The Legend of Bagger Vance.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Lead Generation
Sunday School can create true believers. What they get right about training.
Sales training should rarely be about the product. Learn about with the right training how you attract the right leads.
I was 4 in front of about 200 people and I loved it.
It was a Part about the meeting between Aaron and the Priests of Levi – a Sister called Mom to see if I would help with her Part. Mom’s excitement fired up my own. My job was to point at and describe the jewels on the breastplate of the Levi. Her son had drawn a perfect picture complete with robes, beard, and stern, no-smile eyes daring me to get it wrong. The sketch was bigger than me.
Every adult in the room was poised, afraid I would forget, panic, and go running off the stage to Mom. I could smell the fear and scoffed at it. I mean, I was almost 4 – not some kid.
Joining the ministry school on my own was my ultimate goal. Forced to wait till I was 6, it was the “Second School” for me. Not less important, just smaller. My favorite was the report card after your Part…..G for Good, I for Improving, and W for Work on this. Your critique was public, followed by a paper report card.
This was a public speaking course on steroids.
I choked back tears the first time (only time) I got a W- especially since I knew I had “asked questions, engaged my audience, and used illustrations”. That particular instructor didn’t like me much – a 7-year-old can tell.
As a woman, I wasn’t allowed to talk facing the audience. I blamed the Apostle Paul – or you might know him as Saint Paul. He made one casual comment about women not teaching in the synagogue and I wasn’t allowed to stand at the podium and give my “part”. The gentler sex could still participate but only by creating a type of skit, a play really, with another Sister. The congregation could “listen in” which meant a woman wasn’t actually teaching, keeping the Bible-Based-Boundaries and Paul’s sensitivities safe.
I loved making up scenarios that made my “part” more interesting. I could write the topic like I was talking to my grandma, my teacher, my doctor, my… well, anyone I wanted and in any setting. That almost made up for a table vs. a podium. It was ultimate role-playing.
My dad – he was allowed to speak from the podium of course- once had a part about the ancient scrolls and much to the delight of everyone in the audience (except the people snoozing!) he had created a scroll to illustrate how tough it would have been to find the passage you wanted by – yup! You guessed it! He “dropped” the scroll and let it roll down the center aisle.
That was attention-getting – and I know people still remember his talks, decades later.
I loved when our family – or just me – gave experiences at the larger conventions – with audiences of thousands. It was a teaching moment and a chance to tell a story that might change someone else’s mind or even their heart. It was a chance to make a difference.
Like the year my parents decided that instead of a once-a-week family Bible Study- we would get up a half hour earlier and read a chapter or two. It was hard, and not fun with a big age span between all 7 of us. It was embarrassing to admit on stage how hard it was. But that became the part other families really keyed in on. It was hard, but it became easier. The moderator asked my dad to really emphasize how difficult it was to make this a routine.
That was real life and never left me- the hard stuff is tough to start doing. And telling a few hundred other families was embarrassing but it helped them. Somehow, once we celebrated the routine of doing it, we stopped. I don’t remember why. It just, somehow, trickled away.
That can happen with important stuff. Like healthy eating, flossing, cleaning your bathroom, …..working your business….(see what I did there ?)
I remember realizing that the “speaking school” meetings were in fact, a type of sales meeting.
Working in business, sales and training meetings have been a part of my weeks for almost 40 years. Monday morning success stories. Client focus groups. Uncoveries that lead to brilliant strategies.
I love making a difference and talking to people who want to learn and discover and DO!! My stories now are quite a bit different… mostly. Well… maybe after a beautiful glass of wine, there is the potential for a bit of an overlap.
My earliest resume included my public speaking training and experience, along with my door-to-door volunteer work. Nothing partisan – just the facts ma’am.
I love to share what I have done, read about, and been taught. I have lived the title of Trainer for decades but really, what is important to me is to discover what is possible. And what I love is when people – groups or individuals – let me know that it worked. They are intrigued and inspired by what is possible. And always, so am I.
Talking to a huge auditorium of people can be easier than talking to one person, but the opportunity to make a difference and help is the same and just as much fun.
I don’t remember exactly the jewels on the high priest’s breastplate anymore, but I will never forget that they were important. For focus. For my focus. And if you get a “W” it can also mean “Wow – look what you can do. Do it again!!”
Sales training should almost never be about the product.
It’s about the sharing and the possibilities and what comes next as you map out the success you want for your business and your people.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Marketing
The Tale of the Python: What Your Marketing Vendors Don’t Want You to Know
An Unfortunate Misunderstanding
Many years ago, I heard a story of a woman who had bought a baby python to help her in the grieving process of her husband who had recently passed away. She reportedly told her friends that the python was really connecting with her, even empathizing with her. In fact, it would lay its head on her deceased husband’s pillow and extend itself all the way out to lay parallel with her. How cute!
It was working out really well for her… until one day she didn’t show up for work.
Emergency Services were called, and a zoologist was consulted. As it turns out, while the baby python may have enjoyed months of affection and attention with its owner, its primary incentive each night that it stretched out in bed next to her was not to help her feel warm and fuzzy, rather, it was to determine when it had grown big enough to consume her.
Now hopefully your marketing vendor isn’t intending to eat you, but it is important to take a look under their hood to determine what their priorities and incentives are.
Is your Marketing Vendor a Python?
Contracting with an outside marketing company can significantly expedite your growth by leveraging the expertise of others while saving you from needing to hire requisite personnel. As you forge these business partnerships, though, it is imperative that you understand their primary motivators so that you can appropriately weigh the advice they give.
An example I regularly see with marketing firms is that they tie their compensation to their client’s marketing budget. The more money you spend on marketing, the more money they make from you. Not only that, but they may even recommend you work with certain media channels because they will receive a commission from them.
But if their marketing efforts fall flat, will they take responsibility for their poor marketing and work to improve it? Or are they more likely to tell you it’s a matter of increasing your advertising budget?
How do you know?
The Most Important Incentive: Growth
I imagine you, like most business owners, care about one goal above all others: growth.
Most marketing firms, however, have their goals in the following order:
- Enlarge your budget
- Increase their billable hours
- Maximize their commissions from media companies
- Grow your business
When primary goals aren’t aligned between you and your vendor, how can there be trust?
Keep in mind, your business is not the only one hurting in challenging economic times, your marketing vendor is likely hurting too. And the scary thing is, if their compensation (ability to feed their family) is tied to your budget, but your ability to feed your family requires you run your business as operationally lean as possible… whose best do you think your vendors will look out for first?
So before you get all warm and cuddly with your new marketing vendor, take the time to learn what their primary goals and incentives are so you can be sure that their best will align with your best. No one wants to wake up one day to find themselves in bed with a hungry python.
My partners and I believe that having incentives and goals that don’t align with our client’s not only gives the impression and opportunity for impropriety, but is straight-up unethical. At Wizard of Ads®, we house the psychological marketing strategies you need to stop the scroll. The only metric we tie our compensation to is what matters most to you – growth.
Marketing
When will they need you? Market your business for the long haul for best results.
Why do business owners wait till winter? The freezing cold blasts from accounting, supply issues, and recruiting grief are piling up in drifts of hard icy snow. If it’s already winter, you should still call but it’s better to call in spring.
The trouble is, everything seems possible in spring so business owners don’t call. Summer is a solid time but businesses are distracted by perfect weather, steady growth, and icy adult beverages. Autumn is business busy with harvest and sometimes hunkering down for what comes next. Business owners should call then too.
Windchill is where the bragging rights come into play. -67F is how it feels, with windchill. That’s only -55C but it feels the same.
In fact -40F and -40C are exactly the same.
It’s a dry cold, which means you can dress for -40.
But the windchill is coming.
We all know the four seasons… And no I don’t mean the musical group…..
Spring summer winter and autumn. Not necessarily in that order, of course. I live four distinct seasons, which is not the year divided by four.
Winter is the longest.
November is my anniversary so that’s a fun month. And well, I love Christmas particularly because I have not always celebrated – so December gets a pass.
January is full of ideas and plans and packing decorations away so it’s not winter until about the second week.
And then winter settles in.
It’s dark. It’s cold. It’s icy. There are feet of snow to shovel. The wind blows it onto cars and sidewalks and into your eyes.
You just bundle up.
A remote start on your vehicle is ketchup on fries. Why wouldn’t you? An attached garage and underground parking are a dream. You question the sanity of your ancestors for settling anywhere close, and your own for staying….worse if you recently moved here.
You sit on your heat register or in front of a fireplace and wait.
March is a trickster, as is the first couple of weeks of April…you know it’s almost impossible, but wasn’t there a year spring came early?
Sure, snow in June is possible but mentioning it is tempting the gods. Spring finally waves but she doesn’t last long. Buds, pussy willows, and running water in the streets change to brilliant green lawns and urban forests. Clear skies and neighbors smiling. The school year bows her head towards summer and family road trips. Homeschoolers are done and public school families, complain about too many movies, field trips, and days being wasted.
Summer is a glorious queen with mosquito genocide on her mind and little ones upset about going to sleep when it is clearly still daytime.
Then, leaves change color, lakes are warm, the air has a minty coolness and most people head home to routine. It’s not even 7p but it feels like bedtime.
What season is your business in?
Marketing, advertising, and branding should be 52 weeks a year unless you are closed. True seasonal businesses are possible but rare. Not many actually shutter their doors. If you do, it’s hard to remind them you’ve been hibernating. Sleep is the great eraser…they forget who you are. We need to keep telling them.
Marketing is not Advertising. Branding is a bit of both. All three are the clothes you wear. And depending on the time of year, it might change. I promise you, I dress a lot differently for a January walk but I’m still wearing clothes in July.
When will your clients need you? How can your marketing – your 52-week marketing- ensure they think of you first when, finally, they need your product or service? There is no need to compete with the frantic Google gods who believe everyone waits until the Zero Moment of Truth to decide who to buy from, use, and support in your category.
This is the fun of marketing your business… not running a never-ending sale, not tricking someone into a must-be-now-now-now-now purchase – it’s letting them know that whenever they decide they need you, you will be there for them. Our customers have seasons too. Keep telling them they can trust you to be there no matter how cold their beautiful blue sky is.
So, let’s have fun. Fun growing your business. An uncovery and strategy meeting is the place to start.
That’s where we find your sword in the stone, what everyone needs to know. It only belongs to you. Not your industry. Your. Business. And only yours. Eliminate competition. We can worry about how to tell people After we know what to tell them.
A plan and a message to take windchill, hot sun, cooling nights, and budding possibilities and keep your business moving forward to embrace it all.
Your customers are waiting.
Let’s have some fun.
If you need new branding guidance, book a call with no other than Wizard of Ads®. We'll help you figure out what new perspective on branding can work for your business.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions? We’ve got answers.
Why Wizard of Ads®?
Are you ready to transform your business into a distinctive, emotionally resonant brand? Here's why hiring Ryan Chute and Wizard of Ads® Services is the game-changer your business needs:
Distinctiveness Beyond Difference: Your brand must be distinctive, not just different, to stand out. We specialize in creating emotional connections with your customers to make your brand unforgettable.
Building Real Estate in the Mind: Branding with us helps your customers remember your brand when they need your service again, creating a lasting impression.
Value Proposition Integration: We ensure that your brand communicates a compelling value proposition that resonates with your audience, creating a powerful brand strategy.
Who Should Work with The Wizard of Ads®?
Wizard of Ads® offers services that start with understanding your marketing challenges.
We specialize in crafting authentic and disruptive brand stories and help build trust and familiarity with your audience. By partnering with Wizard of Ads®, you can transform your brand into one people remember and prefer. We understand the power of authentic storytelling and the importance of trust.
Let us elevate your marketing strategy with our authentic storytelling and brand-building experts. We can take your brand to the next level.
What Do The Wizard of Ads® Actually Do?
Maximize Your Marketing Impact with Strategic Alignment.
Our strategy drives everything we do, dictating the creative direction and channels we use to elevate your brand. Leveraging our national buying power, we ensure you get the best media rates for maximum market leverage. Once your plan is in motion, we refine our strategy to align all channels—from customer service representatives to digital marketing, lead generation, and sales.
Our goal is consistency: we ensure everyone in your organization is on the same page, delivering a unified message that resonates with your audience. Experience the power of strategic alignment and watch your brand thrive.
What can I expect working with The Wizard of Ads®?
Transform Your Brand with Our Proven Process.
Once we sign the agreement, we visit on-site to uncover your authentic story, strengths, and limitations. Our goal is to highlight what sets you 600 feet above the competition. We'll help you determine your budgets and plan your mass media strategy, negotiating the best rates on your behalf.
Meanwhile, our creative team crafts a durable, long-lasting campaign designed to move your brand beyond mere name recognition and into the realm of household names. With an approved plan, we dive into implementation, producing high-quality content and aligning your channels to ensure your media is delivered effectively. Watch your brand soar with our comprehensive, strategic approach.
What Does A Brand-Foward Strategy Do?
The Power of Strategic Marketing Investments
Are you hungry for growth? We explain why a robust marketing budget is essential for exponential success. Many clients start with an 8-12% marketing budget, eventually reducing it to 3-5% as we optimize their marketing investments.
While it takes time to build momentum, you'll be celebrating significant milestones within two years. By the three to five-year mark, you'll see dramatic returns on investment, with substantial gains in net profit and revenue. Discover how strategic branding leads to compound growth and lasting value. Join us on this journey to transform your business.
Ready to transform your world?
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