How Can the Advertising Dollar Work Harder?

The article discusses profit maximization in advertising. The author attempts to distinguish between advertisements (ads) that will work from those that will not. In his opinion, ads fail for four distinct reasons. First, some advertisers don't set clear goals in advance. Without an achievable objective, success cannot be measured. The second reason he believes ads fail is because of a breakdown in the ad's message. The message conveyed must be relevant to the product, differentiate the product from the competition, contain at least one consumer benefit, and be believable. Another reason is that few advertisers are making use of knowledge about market segmentation and purchase concentration. Finally, he feels ads fail because too few advertisers give their ads enough exposure.