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In the first two parts of this series, Louise Schultze sat you on the analyst’s couch to figure out whether you have ADD (Advertising Deficit Disorder) and, if so, which type. Today, she tells you how to cure ADD2 (and your Dad issues!).

Ok, you know what to do. Get comfy. You’re here because you have accepted that you have ADD2. Last session on the couch, we spoke about ADD1 and your ‘Mother’ issues. Guess what? Yep – ADD2 is all about your Father issues. So let’s re-cap what ADD2 is again.

ADD2 – (Advertising Deficit Disorder – Type 2)

You’re hyperactive in your advertising. You place dozens of ads everywhere, take up every distress ad out there with a ‘buy it, buy it now’ attitude. You can’t see whether the ads you are placing are actually working for you, and you probably created ads for your business that had a negative effect. You fiddle excessively with your ads, and have poor listening skills when it comes to your creative designer or marketer. And it just simply never registers to think about the buying behaviours of potential clients.

So put that down, stop fiddling, and look at me Kimmy. Look at me!

We’re going to talk about Fathers; those mystical beings that make rolling on the ground fun, and pulling fingers hilarious. They arrived home, opened the door and it was like the party just started. Mum knew everything you needed; Dad had just what you wanted. Like the keys to the car, or $15 for the movie ticket, or the magical ability to build a go-cart out of the washing basket and wheels off the lawn mower.

He had an insane attention to detail with an art of speaking right to your heart that made you jump up and down with glee, when you got everything you didn’t know you wanted. Whether these Dad’s names are Coles Myer, David Jones or Harvey Norman, these fathers are all fundamentally the same.

In advertising, we use the two driving emotions – love and fear – directed through our two fundamental channels – needs and wants – to connect with and determine the buying behaviours of our potential clientele. Wow, that was long. I’ll give you an example.

Let’s look at car advertising.

Love = man loves his car, loves to drive it, you deserve this car, treat yourself.

Fear = it must have all the safety features for your family and if you don’t buy it for that reason you and your family will surely die.

Needs = You need more space in your car, better fuel economy, air bags, safety features.

Wants = you want to go faster, look tougher, and appeal more attractive to the opposite sex, so you must have that spoiler, cruise control, radio control on your steering wheel (for the people with tiny arms) and alloy wheels. (‘Alloy wheels’ – perfect example. I don’t even know what that means, but when I’m buying a car I’m like, “Great it has alloy wheels!”).

Dads, much like astute advertisers, tend to appear natural at knowing your motivations as a child, at driving your emotions, at appeasing your fears, at giving into your wants and desires

Ok, I get it, but how do these Dad issues solve my ADD2?

Well just like ADD1, there’s a three-step process for curing your ADD2, and your Dad issues, too.

1. Decide in your advertising whether your product or service is going to appeal to your clientele by using your Mum side or your Dad side. Mum = Needs. Dad = Wants.
2. Choose what emotion is going to be the deciding factor for your clientele’s purchasing behaviour. Is it coming from a place of love or fear for them?
3. Then stir it all up with either Mum’s ingredients: nagging, reliability, nurturing, caring and needing. Or Dad’s ingredients: desire, excitement, intrigue, adventure, fun, and wanting.

Now calm down. This doesn’t mean that because you now know what should go into your ads that you should go hyper again and start making heaps of ads and buying all the cheap media space you can get your hands on. Now that I have explained all that ADD1 and ADD2 entail and how to cure them naturally, we need to devise a plan of action for you. What to do first – so you don’t run around like a four-year-old hopped up on red cordial?

Oh, would you look at that. Time’s up again. We’ll just have to go over the plan of action at the next session on my couch.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below with the receptionist on the way out.

Louise Schultze is CEO of iBidAM.com, an advertising and marketing company focused on helping small and medium business. She is also a motivational and topical public speaker.

Photo: Sebastian Fritzon