Mission Impossible?

Sometimes I feel as though I’m on a mission. Seriously.

Some days, my mission seems to be to catch all the grammatical errors and typos in the newspaper (and sadly there have been many in the past year or so). That usually leads me to a rant about the decline of newspapers and decent writing in this country, which then leads to the decline of a good, comprehensive basic education in the U.S.

Other days my mission is evil drivers; mostly, those people who don’t stop at stop signs. In my neighborhood, walkers, children on scooters or bicycles, people pushing baby strollers, and joggers have to watch out for the “slow down and go” drivers (most of whom seem to be on their mobile phones). Maybe this relates back to poor driver education?

But now my mission is bad advertising. I wrote an email a few months ago to the “We Want to Hear from You” contact for a particular organization in Washington, DC after seeing a particularly egregious, hard to read, and even harder to comprehend print ad. They must not have appreciated my feedback (or offer to help them) because I didn’t receive a response.

But today I was stopped by an ad in the August issue of Washingtonian Magazine (believe me, there are many ineffective, hard to read ads in this publication). Advertisers, you may as well not even waste your money advertising if:

• Consumers can’t read the copy because the type is too small and fine to reverse out of the background photo.
• A potential customer can’t easily distinguish the name of the restaurant (or any business) in the logo…again, because it’s too small and insignificant in the ad to be noticed.
• I may already be familiar with your business, but you’ve hidden the reasons I might want to go there again (in other words, the benefits to your customers, your key selling message, your unique offering) by listing four hard to read bullet points, none of which are compelling when selecting a restaurant. For example, “ A hot spot among the city’s elite.” Please.
• You select a photo that shows part of an empty restaurant and stairs leading…where, to the kitchen, the restrooms, the bar? I adore great architecture, well-designed spaces and serene environments, however all I’m getting from this photo is “dull.”

People, sometimes understated does not serve your business well. Think before spending your precious money. You’re advertising for a reason… does your advertising effectively communicate for you?

I fear I may be getting a bit curmudgeonly but I am a girl on a mission...and I love it.