Please take two

Mary Wells Lawrence may be one of the brightest minds in the history of marketing and advertising.

Several decades ago, she was working on an ad campaign for Alka Seltzer. Up until that point, the recommended dose was to dissolve one tablet in water. She found some research that suggested that taking two tablets in water might increase the product’s effectiveness.

Eureka! Now she had grounds to use ads to sell us on buying and using twice the amount of product: Plop Plop Fizz Fizz. Take two please. The result was astounding; revenues almost doubled within a short period.

The simple takeaway was that the customer looks to advertising to instruct everything from usage to perceived benefits. Are you thinking that way with your marketing campaign? Are you being bold enough to suggest that your customers try even more?

Read: A Big Life In Advertising by Mary Wells Lawrence