I shopped Sunrise of Metairie perhaps a little more than a year ago. I still occasionally get mailings from them. So they continue to touch their mailing list…good for them.
All in all this flyer is not really that bad. The problem is it is not really that good either. I’d like to make a few observations about the flyer: shell?, two too many, non-specifics, who cares and ours is ours.
Shell?
To me this publication has to be a shell of some kind. The colored portions of the flyer were printed first then the black color is printed in a separate run for each location using it. Note how the font under the Event Details, the text under the main copy, and the address line under the Sunrise logo is all the same font, some is bold and other is regular. The added bold text looks like an afterthought. Running a shell like this is a simple cost cutting measure that enables multiple locations to have high quality printing at a lower cost.
Here is where this idea runs off the rails. If this is a shell, it means that Sunrise printed thousands of flyers that say “Luau Celebration” and also “Sunrise Team Reunites.” What are the chances that numbers of Sunrise buildings will have a luau and a reunion at the same time? Unless it came from on high or as a some kind of publisher template this could have been a one-off flyer, in which case it is in every way much too general.
All in all this flyer is not really that bad. The problem is it is not really that good either. I’d like to make a few observations about the flyer: shell?, two too many, non-specifics, who cares and ours is ours.
Shell?
To me this publication has to be a shell of some kind. The colored portions of the flyer were printed first then the black color is printed in a separate run for each location using it. Note how the font under the Event Details, the text under the main copy, and the address line under the Sunrise logo is all the same font, some is bold and other is regular. The added bold text looks like an afterthought. Running a shell like this is a simple cost cutting measure that enables multiple locations to have high quality printing at a lower cost.
Here is where this idea runs off the rails. If this is a shell, it means that Sunrise printed thousands of flyers that say “Luau Celebration” and also “Sunrise Team Reunites.” What are the chances that numbers of Sunrise buildings will have a luau and a reunion at the same time? Unless it came from on high or as a some kind of publisher template this could have been a one-off flyer, in which case it is in every way much too general.
I do not want to knock shells here. The cost savings can be substantial. In an ideal world you have both cost savings and engaging messaging.
Two too Many
This flyer falls into the “too many things trap.” The flyer could be a good ad about a luau and it could be a good ad about a reunion (a 4 year reunion? Huh?). Instead it is kind of an ad about a luau with a sentence about a reunion of some kind (why reunite after 4 years, I don’t get it?).
The general advertising principle here is to have a great event and promote the event as best you can. If the event they have is a luau, then promote the luau. If it is to have a reunion then change the photo on the top, put some names down of people reuniting and entice me with why I want to meet these people for the first time who were here only 4 years ago (probably less then 4 years ago really) and are now visiting.
One of those events is enough. As it is right now it is a luau ad that is having its effectiveness weakened by the addition of additional clutter.
Non-specifics
This copy is drowning in generalities. The only specific information on it is 4 years, the time and date, address and phone number.
This is the danger of using shells with shell copy. In this flyer you get “luau fare” and “themed entertainment.” In a good ad you might get something like “We are having poy, pit-roasted pig, Hawaiian drinks, and pineapple upside down cake. While you eat, enjoy native dances from the LuLu Dance Troupe”
Specifics are where the meat of advertising lies.
In a similar vein the four year reunion, which is, come on, really a horrible idea, has no names, no photos, no specifics of any kind. I am a person on the mailing list for a year, will I know them and when it comes right down to it, and most importantly, will I care?
Who Cares Test
Two too Many
This flyer falls into the “too many things trap.” The flyer could be a good ad about a luau and it could be a good ad about a reunion (a 4 year reunion? Huh?). Instead it is kind of an ad about a luau with a sentence about a reunion of some kind (why reunite after 4 years, I don’t get it?).
The general advertising principle here is to have a great event and promote the event as best you can. If the event they have is a luau, then promote the luau. If it is to have a reunion then change the photo on the top, put some names down of people reuniting and entice me with why I want to meet these people for the first time who were here only 4 years ago (probably less then 4 years ago really) and are now visiting.
One of those events is enough. As it is right now it is a luau ad that is having its effectiveness weakened by the addition of additional clutter.
Non-specifics
This copy is drowning in generalities. The only specific information on it is 4 years, the time and date, address and phone number.
This is the danger of using shells with shell copy. In this flyer you get “luau fare” and “themed entertainment.” In a good ad you might get something like “We are having poy, pit-roasted pig, Hawaiian drinks, and pineapple upside down cake. While you eat, enjoy native dances from the LuLu Dance Troupe”
Specifics are where the meat of advertising lies.
In a similar vein the four year reunion, which is, come on, really a horrible idea, has no names, no photos, no specifics of any kind. I am a person on the mailing list for a year, will I know them and when it comes right down to it, and most importantly, will I care?
Who Cares Test
Advertising is force communication. Your target market is reading something they really don’t want to and your job is to force them to do something. Force them to make a call. Force them to have a good time. Force them to be interested.
To do that you have to entice them, to tease them with things they like or things that scare them. You have to move them with ideas and concepts and get them to act. The test you, as an advertiser, take is to look at the ad and ask, “who cares?”
If I look at this advertising and ask the fatal question who cares about this reunion? These people have been gone less than 4 years and I have never met them before, I don’t know anything about them. It become clear, including reunion information in this luau ad is really pointless.
Ours is Ours
Aside from the copy of this ad being incredibly bland. Aside from the second sentence of the second paragraph being completely useless in terms of motivating people to come to a luau. I have a pet peeve about the use of the word “our” in this ad.
The first paragraph is written in “you-you-you” style copy. These very nondescript and fairly uninteresting generalities can happen to you if you can stay awake long enough. The second paragraph starts with “you” again then gets all possessive: “our community,” “our team.” Why the shift? Give the reader ownership and command them to do things, perhaps even push them around a bit: “While you are here find out why Sunrise is a place seniors are proud to call home. Meet the team. Tour the community. You are going to love it.” Shift the focus of the copy from showing to engaging the reader.
We could go on. It would be easy to continue but probably a little trying to read. So I’m going to stop here. Hopefully the mailing will do well for Sunrise of Metairie, that the good times they will have will shine through this rather bland flyer…after all it only takes one move-in and the whole thing pays for itself.
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