Last week the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, commonly known as the “Calm Act”, went into effect. The act banned loud commercials on TV by prohibiting commercials from being louder than the TV shows themselves.
To this I shout, HALLELUJAH!
Not only were these commercials annoying but they were also ineffective. Ineffective you say? Yes, definitely ineffective. Loud commercials YELL at customers. Yes they get your attention, but is that any way to treat your customers? The last thing you want to go is annoy your customers. Also customers know a trick when they see one and a loud commercial is just a cheap trick. It’s not a good strategy to trick your customers and insult their intelligence.
Instead of relying on tricks, a better strategy is to speak to customer in a language and message they understand. Read: Be Relevant. Relevance is much more effective than volume. Relevance is about giving something to your customers that they value. If your customers find your message interesting and relevant to their situation, they will pay attention and they will buy.
So the next time you find yourself using tricks to get a customer’s attention don’t. Instead speak the language of relevance. Your customers will respect and reward you for it.
