Advertising has changed in a big way. There was a time when a well-written print ad generated immediate results. It’s not that easy now. Why? Thanks to the information revolution, today's world is overloaded with sales and marketing messages. Your prospects have learned how to tune most of it out. They've become skeptical and defensive. They know many claims are too good to be true.

Advertising is still useful, but its purpose has shifted. It needs to be used in concert with a creative marketing and PR effort to maintain and reaffirm the brand's core values. The ads must also create an emotional bond that builds trust or maintains credibility.

It takes time and a consistent ad message to mold perceptions and direct behaviors. If your budget is limited, it’s better to run half- or even quarter-page ads on a regular basis, than it is to experiment with one or two expensive full page or two page spreads.

Must your ads be highly artistic? No, they must communicate. Computers make it easy for amateurs and professionals alike to add to the kaleidoscope of ads and marketing communications that are posted, presented and projected everywhere. Because people are visually over-stimulated, it’s hard to get the needed attention — even for a second. To combat this, many advertisers push the boundaries of artistic creativity or good taste to absurd levels. They hope that somehow the consumer will take notice. Ads with avant-garde styling may cause a buzz and boost corporate ego, but they don’t do much else. Plus, it’s easy to be misunderstood. Push the envelope too far and you run the risk of confusing, or worse, alienating your market — while you pay money to do it!

In advertising, artistic creativity should be a means to an end — and not be the message itself. Make each word, type style, photo, illustration and color work hard to communicate. Don’t decide to use a design just because it looks like a candidate for a creative award.

Develop a style. Stay with it. The objective of your advertising is to adjust behavior and maintain awareness. Your objective is to maximize the desired effect in a minimum amount of time. It’s been estimated that it takes at least two-dozen impressions of an ad to create the desired effect. To be as effective as possible, your ads must be recognizable. Each impression must retain a "family resemblance" so it reinforces the impression that came before it.

As example, take the sports car maker Porsche — the small company with a big image. They build consumer trust with efficiency. Everything that their "ad guys" have recently developed — TV spots, print ads, sales collateral, website, etc. — has a consistency that is coupled to a strong promise of personal benefit. That's no accident. This evokes reliability and credibility. The impressions build quicker, thinking is affected sooner, and the brand grows stronger.

In contrast, many small companies don’t have consistency or originality in their ad work.

Here's a test: if your company advertises, take your most recent print ad. Put your finger over the logo. Now, can you tell whose ad it is?

Without using a consistent style and message in an advertisement, you will not build brand recognition as well as you should. Develop a style and maintain it. It doesn't matter if you get bored looking at it.

Unless a product becomes outdated, a good campaign has staying power. In your case, by the time you are sick of looking at it, your prospects are just starting to take notice. Consistency gives a feeling of substance. Substance builds all-important trust and credibility.

Prospective customers ask one question: "What's in it for me?" Can you answer that in a few seconds? That’s all the time you have to grab their interest. To do this, don’t just define your product — define the person who buys it. Write a narrative that talks with your market — not just at it. Make the benefit promise strong and compelling. Without this, your ads will fall short.

Decide the image you want then stay with it. Image means personality. Products must have a unique personality to be noticed. If a product becomes a success, it's because the market identified with its image.reat your advertising and marketing collateral, not as entertainment or an art form, but as a conduit for image building and consumer oriented information that builds trust and credibility.