Using your advertising to successfully target your niche market….

Knowing who your target audience is one thing, creating a message that excludes all others takes true creative genius.

Get it in Writing started the process by picking up on three different ads which by nature act as a screening device.  By creating a puzzle which can only be solved by those competent to join the team, three cutting edge companies have found an effective way to target ONLY those who are not "pretenders to the throne."

As someone who has been on the hiring end, this is truly a brilliant screening tool.  I’ve hired more than a few HTML code monkeys who provided great portfolios, only to discover that their contribution must have been to act as ballast for the project they claimed to have participated. When assigned similar tasks, the work turned in by these young men in NO WAY demonstrated the expertise they claimed to possess.  I offer my standing ovation to Google, EA Canada and Navngo.com

Not only did they create inventive ways to advertise AND at the same time screen applicants… Google also earned some media buzz along the way.  (Mathworld to the rescue for those who need help deciphering the Google Billboard ad.)

Pronet Advertising has the following to say in a post entitled 3 ads that Guarantee Results.

What differentiates these ads from others is that the ad itself is an employment interview. If you can solve the advertisement you are automatically suited for the job. No need to apply, no need to dress up a resume or dress yourself up for an interview. Furthermore, these ads show that the companies (unlike what is the case for most people that interview potential employees) understand the people they want to employ and aren’t going to waste their time or yours; it also shows that the companies like to think outside the box and are willing to take risks.

Whether it’s employment ads or ads to motivate your customers to take action, tightly targeting your message is the key to advertising and marketing success.