Advertising failure

Michael
I don't think I've written this down anywhere. Advertising doesn't work except on occasion when directed at children and tourists.

* The largest advertiser in the world for the past fifty years has watched its market share decline steadily for the past thirty years. (General Motors)

* One advertiser with a rock steady level of sales spent $50 million a year for five years to increase sales.  Sales rose the first year but fell back to pre-advertising levels by the third year. (Raisin Advisory Board)

* One advertiser faced with steadily declining sales spent $50 million a year for 15 years and continues to spend while sales continue to decline in a straight line. (Milk Advisory Board)

* One corporation that never advertises, doesn't permit advertising in its retail space, has grown in 6 six years from nothing to the largest seller in its field and has three times the stock market value of General Motors. (Google)

On the subject of the success of Google it is important to note the difference between advertising and listing.

* Advertising describes a message placed in front of many people most of whom have no interest in the message.

* A listing is a message placed in front of people who are looking for information related to that message. Google is pure listing, and it works.