The Continued Value of Paid Media Advertising, Even in the Digital Age

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens tomorrow, and is on a course to break box office records.  Disney has had the talent out on every major television show, but according to Variety, their ad spend will reach $22.4 million!

While many decision makers feel that all they need is a strong and active Social Media presence, along with a professional publicity program, Disney shows us that even in the digital age, there is still a place for a substantial paid advertising program.

In reality, Disney doesn't like paying for media advertising any more than anyone else does.

And that $22.4 million isn't a dollar more than they believe they absolutely must spend in order to make the project a success. 

I know that my potential clients don't have $22.4 million to apply to advertising, and most don't even have half of one million available, but my point is that even with a project that has benefited from an unprecedented amount of advance publicity, the studio has still budgeted a substantial sum for paid media advertising.

So when you are considering the various aspects of your company's marketing, don't discount the value of paid media advertising, no matter what your budget.

I want you to help you make great, informed decisions.  Call me at 856-942-4434 or e-mail me at steve@thomcomm.com and let's get started on making 2016 our best year ever!

Steve Thompson

ps: Here is how effective Disney's marketing has been: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Sells Most Movie Tickets in History

Five Essential Marketing Communications Concerns for Business Owners

Website * Social Media * Paid Advertising * Publicity * Brand Strength

The purposes of all five of these activities are to provide you with a competitive advantage.  

If you recognize the genuine value that these activities can provide you, and you don't have people actively working in these areas, then the following brief notes will help you build an informed perspective from which you can begin your considerations, then make better informed decisions on how to proceed in each area. 

The very first contact most people will have with your company is likely your website.  Is yours current, clearly explaining all of your present offerings?  Is it easy to use, easy for prospects to find the information they need in a minimum amount of time?  Does it encourage readers to take the next step and contact you?  How does it compare with your competitors?  How does it rank in search engines?

Social Media is intended to provide an interactive, ongoing dialog, different from other forms of communications.  Are your postings current?  Do they encourage dialog? Do they make readers comfortable with your company, so when they need what you offer, they'll contact you first?

Paid advertising continues to be an important part of most business's marketing communications.  Are your ads current?  Do they reach a high percentage of prospects, with a message that encourages those prospects to take action?


You probably have substantial publicity opportunities.  Local, regional, and sometimes even national media outlets want to publish information on companies like yours, but the message has to be informative, not direct selling.  Contrary to what many other people say, I do not believe that publicity is "free advertising."  Publicity will work well for you if you have something to say that will benefit the audiences reached by various media outlets.

How strong is your brand?  We all know companies with strong brands like convenience store chains, automotive manufacturers, and fast food franchises.  Here in the Philadelphia area, even some plumbing companies like Horizon Services have established very strong brands.  The question is, how is your company using branding techniques to build awareness and confidence in the minds of your prospects?


Each of these five areas are extremely important to you.  Neglecting just one can create a "weak link" effect, pulling down the rest.

I can help you to make great decisions, with confidence, whenever you face a question on any of these aspects of marketing communications.  When you work with me, you receive the benefit of real world expertise gained by over forty years of working in advertising and marketing.

Although these are the core issues of marketing communications, there are many more important issues that will require your attention in the coming months, such as gender and diversity issues.  

I look forward to working with you, but you need to take the first step today: Call me at 856-942-4434, or e-mail me at steve@thomcomm.com and let's get our dialog started!

Make Better Decisions, With Improved Confidence

There's really only one major factor that separates companies that are thriving and growing, from companies that are struggling: the quality of the day to day decisions made by the people at those companies.

Great decisions result from great information. Who is providing you with the information you use to make your decisions? Your employees? They know you, and they know what you want to hear. Your suppliers, vendors? They want you to buy their products and services, so their information is good regarding their businesses, but not necessarily yours.

I've worked in the advertising, public relations, and publicity industries for over forty years. I've seen trends come and go, and companies come and go. I've seen companies who were willing to adapt who continue to prosper, and others who refused to change, and are long gone.

I'm sixty-two now, and for a number of reasons I only want to provide high quality, high impact consultation services, and only oversee the actual creative services to clients. In essence, most if not all of the clients I've had over the years were primarily interested in what I thought. I told them what I thought, and they made their own decisions on how they proceeded.

Most did what I suggested (and bought what I was offering) one mentioned "nobody connects the dots as well you Steve."

So that's what I'm offering now: The opportunity for me to listen to you, your concerns, your opinions on what you are doing now and why, and your plans and hopes for the future.  First I'll begin by taking an objective look at your company, your facilities, your competitive position in the marketplace, the way you treat present and past customers, your website, your paid advertising, the business press who covers your type of business, your social media involvement, then I'll address your specific concerns, and give you my unbiased opinions. I think you'll find my real-life perspective refreshing.

Everything, including your response to this posting is handled with complete confidentiality.

I'm not looking for a job with your company, and I'm not trying to convince you to buy a product or creative service, so you will be receiving the benefit of my forty plus years of experience in the advertising, marketing, public relations, and publicity industries. My goal is to assist you in making better informed decisions, decisions that you'll feel great about!

So the first step towards making better informed decisions really is easy and simple: just contact me now for more information at steve@thomcomm.com !

Thanks!

Steve Thompson

Thompson Communications
856-942-4434

Marketing Communications Assistance

In 2016 I'll turn 62. I began working in advertising and marketing in the Mid-Seventies at nineteen years old, in the advertising production department of 4Day Tire Stores in Southern California.

Within a few months, at age 20, I became responsible for producing ads that ran weekly in 9 newspapers in 7 cities from San Francisco to Dallas, and in every monthly edition of Car and Driver and Road and Track.

Through most of the eighties and nineties I went on to promote a variety of manufacturing companies, most of them marketed nationally and internationally. 

After 2000 I turned to entertainment publicity, and went on to promote over thirty-five films, while also working with Academy Award Winner Cliff Robertson for ten years.  One producer told me that in Hollywood Cliff represented the "Gold Standard for Personal Integrity."

In 2010, family duties began to consume more of my time.  I eventually ended up looking after my Mother full time while she suffered with dementia.  I had promised my Father that I would look after her, and I made sure that she was well cared for at the end of her life.

Earlier this year I injured my back, which was an extremely painful injury, but on November 16th, I received back surgery which has miraculously solved the problem.

Now with over forty years of experience, I believe it's time for me to turn to consulting and advising, guiding younger people to do the actual work.  I've spent my share of time on the front lines, now I know I can be of more value helping decision makers make better informed decisions.

In the next few days I'll have more details available on what I'm offering, and who will derive the best benefits.

Thanks for reading what I have to say, let me know what you think at steve@thomcomm.com