National Newspaper Association
Protecting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Newspapers Since 1885
Ad Libs by John Foust
John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email John at john@johnfoust.com.
Reliability means paying attention
The problem wasn’t with the sign itself. Someone should have been responsible for sending someone to check on overhanging limbs.
A lesson from Lockwood’s Folly
I remember a conversation with Brent, a longtime print and digital advertiser. “I enjoy meeting with advertising sales people and hearing their ideas, but I always cringe when ...
Brand loyalty is a powerful force
How can you deal with an advertiser who doesn’t consider your newspaper, because of a strong loyalty to another advertising choice?
Coffee, televisions and response advertising
I asked Karine what made that billboard’s message so effective. She said, “It proved that strong advertising is specific and communicates clearly. It offered a reason to make a purchase right ...
I shot an ad into the air
I think about that little archery range every now and then because I’ve been relating advertising to archery for more than 30 years.
Don’t ghost your clients
Although “ghosting” is most frequently associated with personal relationships, it also occurs in business relationships.
Think like an interviewer
“As the manager of our ad team," Cory said, "I never use the word ‘presentation’ to refer to first-time meetings. In those meetings, we’re there to listen, not present. Our objective ...
Two things that will never change
In one sentence, he summed up the most important thing that a salesperson needs to know — whether it’s selling through advertising or selling in a one-to-one conversation.
The power of a pause
Lately I’ve been thinking about the well-known television campaign for Wrangler jeans. This is the one with the tagline that is spoken as it appears on the screen: “Real. Comfortable. Jeans.”
‘I don’t know’ can be a great answer
When said with unquestioned sincerity, “I don’t know” sends important messages.
Sometimes it’s good to create a stir
“We fight against complacency all the time,” he said. “Once a salesperson makes a sale and the ads start running on a regular schedule, there might be a tendency to move that client to ...
Solving the puzzle of advertising
Let’s take a look at a real puzzle and see how it relates to the particular challenges of creating advertising.
Sunshine in the weather forecast
It was always sunny in Carolyn’s office. There’s an old saying that some people brighten the room by arriving and others brighten the room by leaving. In the years I went to that dentist, she ...
Put a stop to workplace silos
Abby has a simple suggestion that might be of help: “Talk and listen. Every now and then, some managers like to organize team-building activities, but honestly, I think structured team exercises ...
Every salesperson needs a parachute
Anthony’s technique makes a lot of sense. When you feel like your sales presentation is losing altitude ...
Recognize buying signals, verbal and non
Those indications are called “buying signals,” and they tell us to know when to S-T-O-P talking and bring the sale in for a landing.
Learn from the ones that get away
We know what it’s like to “almost” catch the big one, only to lose out at the last minute. At times like that, it might help to remember what speaker, writer and consultant Denis Waitley ...
Treasure hunt for ad ideas
Not all treasures consist of gold and silver. For those of us in the advertising business, some are hidden away in file cabinets and company archives.
Get more mileage out of testimonials
This strategy gave us more mileage than a campaign with two or three testimonials because there were so many different combinations. If you’d like to try something similar, here are the steps to ...
