RSVP, WOMBAT and other popular terms in advertising, media studies

RSVP (Respondez Sil Vous Plait – French). RSVP is usually mentioned at the end of an invitation for a function/invite. If are attending the function you are supposed to say "yes I am coming”. Depending on the number of responses suitable arrangements are made for the guests. So If RSVP is written do say if you are going or not. Keeping silent to RSVP is seen as a major Gaffe (mistake)!

WOMBAT - Word of mouth is the best advertising technique: It is often said that advertising is the most fun that one can have with one’s clothes on. So it is not surprising that advertising is entertaining and at the same time it could be misleading. Advertising is taken with a pinch of salt as it tends to glorify the pluses and gloss over the minuses. Like my good friend KVS Krishna Mohan said “it is very difficult not to be a hero in your own story”.

So claims in advertisements not taken very seriously. So it is important that we cultivate WOMBAT. Word of mouth from our friends, relatives and colleagues is seen as more reliable. After all our friends do not have any ulterior motives in recommending a product that she/he does not like himself/herself. So it is very necessary that the companies cultivate positive word of mouth.

Only three things unavoidable in the world: And they are Death, taxes and advertising. We are bombarded by advertising. So the catch and mice game goes on. The customers try to be as much away from advertising as possible and the advertisers want to catch them at all possible times and at all possible places.  

Man biting dog: Frequently cited in media studies. Dog biting man is not news rather it is the other way round. So when a copy of an advertisement is written it has to bite. It should have that element of surprise and intrigue. Otherwise the reader/viewer would be saying “Yawn! How boring, tell me another thing!”

The head line “No Mamata for CPM in West Bengal” is a very good example. Mamta Banerjee is the maverick TMC leader who ended the very long 34 year CPM rule in West Bengal. Mamata is Hindi/Bengali means Love. So the word Mamta became a very good tool for a clever headline. Similarly Jayalalitha the AIDMK leader who defeated M. Karunanidhi of the DMK prompted one news reporter to pen the headline “Jayalalitha shows no Karuna” Karuna in Sanskrit/Tamil means mercy. The thumping win of AIDMK over DMK was cleverly captured in the headline.

Winking at a girl in darkness: Trying to market a product without advertising is like winking at a girl in darkness. A girl should be winked in broad daylight. Winking in day light could result in plethora of responses ranging from a spectrum of responses including total ignorance to a similar winking by the girl. But this has to be done in broad daylight. Winking in darkness is a futile exercise as it is not even noticed.

Sales terms Part - I

PSS - 'Professional Selling Skills’:  is a highly structured selling process pioneered by the US Xerox (and UK Rank Xerox) the photocopier sales organization during the 1960s, and adopted by countless business-to-business sales organizations, normally as the 'Seven Steps of the Sale'. PSS places a huge reliance on presentation, overcoming objections and umpteen different closes. Largely now superseded by more modern 'Open Plan' two-way processes, but PSS is still in use and being trained, particularly in old-fashioned paternalistic company cultures. The regimented one-way manipulative style of PSS nowadays leaves most modern buyers completely cold, but strip it away to the bare process and it's better than no process at all.

Trial close:  is the technique, by which a sales person tests the prospect's readiness to buy, traditionally employed in response to a buying signal, e.g.: prospect says: "Do you have them in stock?" to which the sales person would traditionally reply: "Would you want one if they are?" Should be used with extreme care as many customers might resent the question and might feel that it is impertinent. If one sees a buying signal there's no need to jump on it - just answer it politely.

Used by pushy salesmen it is the process of testing the waters. The sales man is testing the resistance of the buyers. If there is no resistance the sales man would go in for the Kill (ask for the order). Pushy trail closures will not work in the modern era where the customer is confident of himself and will not accept pushy salesmen.

Face of the company: In a sales situation the company can’t monitor the activities of the sales person at all times. When the sales person is interacting with the customer he becomes the company. Rather he is the face of the company. If he is polite and professional the company will be perceived positively and if he is rude to the customer, the customer is inclined to have a negative opinion of the company. The company has to recruit the sales people with care as they can impact the customer’s opinions and perceptions about the company.

Moment of truth: is what a salesman lives for. It is the culmination of all efforts that the sales person has put in right from the pre-prospecting stage. The sales person would have moved the customer from the stone cold level to the cold level then to a warm level and finally to the hot level. The customer is ready. The sales person has to maximize his time with the customer and see that his objective is achieved. The moment of truth has to be utilized in the optimal fashion. In the retail sector the moment of truth is when the customer takes the product in his hands and examines it. If he is interested the sale is made. If not the entire marketing process has gone waste.

Galvanometer test: A research method that measures physiological changes in consumers when asked a question or shown some stimulus material such as an advertisement. The most famous case that is always quoted is the Senior Bush’s election speech in which he says “read my lips no new taxes”. This particular speech was given the galvanometer test and when Senior Bush uttered the above words he got very good positive response. The speech was later widely used by senior Bush and is cited as one of the reasons of his victory in that particular presidential election.