Effective advertising makes relevant connections with its target audience. To be successful you must understand, respect and embrace the diversity that exists in our wonderful country.

Young or old. Black or white. Sick or healthy. Whatever group you are targeting, remember these things when marketing to them.

Look at the whole person, not one demographic characteristic. Not everyone in your demo will make the same amount of money, live in the same area or have the same values and attitudes. Psychographics can never be stereotyped.

Avoid stereotypes. It seems like a no-brainer but it happens all the time. Mainly because the advertiser fails to put himself in the customer’s shoes. Account Planners in large agencies bridge this gap but many of us out there need to think this way on our own. Remember there are also positive stereotypes. e.g. Not all Asian Americans are good at math.

Laugh with them. Humor does have a place if it doesn’t rely on stereotypes. If you’re too serious, it looks like you’re trying to be safe – as if it’s a different type of advertising category. It’s all just advertising.

Make relevant ties to their personal causes. Suggest to your client that they donate a portion of sales to causes that are important to them.

And at the end of it all, test, test, test. Test your marketing on members of the target audience.

Over 50 years ago, a CD from the agency that represented Mobil Oil was on-site at their headquarters. He took a tour of the plant and discovered that a small amount of detergent goes into the gasoline. The tagline “drive your Engine Clean” was born.

In todays digital world, we rarely take time to actually know a product or consumer personally. When it comes to primary research, we send off a survey via the Internet.

My favorite way to do primary is through trial and observation. Go visit or buy your product. Try it. Smell it. Taste it. Give it to your family and friends. Watch them use it. Go to a store and observe customers. How much time do they spend looking at your product? How many additional services do they take advantage of? Do they look at the price tag and frown or buy it in bulk?

Firsthand experience gives you important insights that may lead to the big idea. But remember, firsthand experience alone may cause you to think that others may think or behave the same as you. Therefore observation of others is also a critical component of this research method.

We’re in the advertising industry, so of course, we have an office full of creative minds. While our design and account staff is highly imaginative, creativity isn’t ALL our business is about. Creative for the sake of being creative accomplishes nothing. It must be backed by research insights and created as a part of a strategic marketing plan. Before a brand dives into any kind of creative campaign, this underlying question must be resolved: “what is going to make a consumer buy this product or service?”

Cue The Cyphers Agency.

The truth is, in advertising, we’re actually in the people business. Here, we’re all about getting in the minds of consumers. It’s critical to know how consumers behave throughout purchase decisions and in life. Beyond their wants and needs, we delve into their personality, values, attitudes and lifestyles. We figure out what really makes them tick. By delving into the activities, interests and opinions of different audiences, we can narrowly define a target audience.

Once all the toiling, researching, surveying and observing is done, we have a clear visualization of the type of people who comprise the target audience. It’s not until we have that narrowly defined audience that we get our real creative and strategic juices flowin’. Then the real fun stuff happens…research insights are coupled with creative and strategic ideas to accomplish the client’s marketing goal. The end result is a fully integrated marketing plan complete with strategy for how to connect with the target audience in a profound way, what to say (ad strategy), how to say it (creative strategy), and where it say it (media strategy).